Only the Moon Howls
by Lady Devonna
Summary: Sequel to With Love. Chapter 10 gives us a glimpse of the power that Ken has been following and also a look into the psyches of our heroes. Note: 10 is darker than usual with way less fluff.
1. The Tragedy of Von Christ

**Author's Note:** _Well, here is the long-awaited (I assume awaited, anyway) sequel to _With Love_. It don't promise updates on this one as frequently. I'm getting busier and busier and I'll be back at school pretty soon. With my course load next semester, writing's going to be hard to work in. That said, please enjoy the story the best you can. If you haven't head _With Love_, you really should. Admittedly, not much actually _happened_ in that story, but the stage was set. Also, it's a nifty story. _With Love_ was a prologue. _Only the Moon Howls_ is meant to function as a third season of Kyo Kara Moah—sure to be quite contradicted by the OVA, but I'll live with that. I even have it planned for thirty-nine chapters. (Though _With Love_ was conceived as a two-parter, so that's how good I am at planning.) Be nice and let me know how well I'm doing at making it feel like the show. I try not to beg, but reviews make me super happy._

_So, in summary, read the first one, read this like episodes of the show, and be made very happy. It's got it all. Fan service, pointless and amusing antics, snarkiness… I live to gratify._

Yuuri stood with his hands behind his back, an uncharacteristically pensive frown on his face. He was in the dungeons of Covenant Castle, shivering a little. Though the jail cells were as comfortable as Yuuri could convince his subjects to make prisoner's accommodations, it was deep underground. The chill and damp was unavoidable.

The object of his thoughtfulness was the pale, skinny young man beyond the bars, sleeping fitfully. He was remarkably ordinary, somewhere between fifteen and twenty years of age. His hair was dark brown, his snub nose and cheekbones spattered with freckles. He seemed a bit unhealthy, shivering occasionally with dark circles under his eyes. His general aura was utterly pathetic, a harmless, childish figure.

And he had nearly taken Wolfram from Yuuri forever. His botched assassination attempt still haunted Yuuri's dreams, though his fiancé was safe and nearly healed. He could hear the ugly shattering sound as Wolfram landed from a three-story drop on his feet, bones snapping, the spatter of blood and the hollow scream… He shook his head.

Yuuri had been the intended victim and his precious Wolfram had suffered for it. Part of him wanted to order the boy executed, hanged and then drawn and quartered in some public place. He didn't think he'd ever get over feeling Wolfram's heart stop a second time, even for that brief moment.

But that wasn't Yuuri. And the boy's attempt had struck right at the heart of the alliance, the peace and understanding Yuuri had devoted his life to promoting. To respond with anger would betray his every ideal. He sighed. Answers had been pouring in from all his allies, and nearly every other ruler in the alliance wanted to execute the boy, regardless of the symbolic betrayal that seemed to Yuuri. If all his allies wanted the boy dead, he'd be betraying them if he didn't acquiesce.

If only he could find out why the boy had done it, what his motivation had been. Assassins had been forgiven before, once Yuuri had come to know why they'd struck. Admittedly, he'd hurt _Wolfram_, and Yuuri was having a much harder time forgiving that than a personal attack.

The boy stirred and sat up. His eyes were an odd ice blue, dull and haunted. Yuuri forgot his brooding for a moment. Here was a chance. This was the first time he'd trusted himself to come down and see the boy, known he wouldn't lose his temper. Wolfram had had the bandages taken off his legs the night before, and he was in a good mood.

"Hi." Yuuri leaned against the bars, ready to jump back in case the prisoner decided to try something.

The boy shrank back in obvious terror, moving into the corner and cowering. Yuuri had been used to such responses once, but humans had begun to believe tales of the maou's kindness. The boy's recoiling stung once again.

He tried again. "My name's Shibuya Yuuri. What's yours?"

"Just kill me already!" His voice was high, and cracked twice. Yuuri thought he might be even younger than he looked.

"I…" He supposed he shouldn't promise. "I'm not going to hurt you if I can help it." The best he could do. "Why don't you tell me your name?" He tried to smile.

"Where's that woman?" His eyes darted around erratically. "That woman and her demon machine?"

"Oh, Anissina? She's probably still asleep. It's pretty early." Yuuri had woken up and not been able to get back to sleep, so he'd left Wolfram and Greta to sleep and wandered down in hopes of accomplishing something. "She's pretty scary, isn't she? But she's been working on a pitching machine lately." It pitched too well at the moment, throwing balls with such force that they shattered bats. And wrists.

"So come on, tell me what your name is." Yuuri tried to smile. Being pleasant with an assassin was hard even on Yuuri. He wondered if he should borrow Mr. Don't Even Try Lying to Me.

"I won't tell you anything!" He tried very hard to look imposing Yuuri recognized the effort because he had to make it himself sometimes.

"Then what did you just say?" Just a brain teaser. Yuuri thought of things like that sometimes. He could tell he'd utterly confused the boy, but his line of questioning seemed to have backfired. The young assassin slapped both hands over his mouth and continued to huddle.

Yuuri asked a few more times and gave up. He was getting hungry anyway. It was about breakfast time, as well as about Wolfram waking up and being irritated at Yuuri's absence time. He bid a very polite farewell to his prisoner and tiptoed upstairs, hoping no one would catch him. He doubted his devoted retainers would approve of him casually conversing with someone who'd tried to murder him.

Doria and Sangria were setting out breakfast dishes and Lasagna pouring tea. The table was full of the usuals, Conrad and Gwendal sitting next to each other wordlessly, Lady Celi chattering at them both (Yuuri had determined she was staying at the castle until Wolfram was fully recovered), Greta making faces on her toast with jam, Anissina drawing a diagram of some sort on her napkin, Wolfram looking like he hadn't slept enough, and… And an empty seat.

"Where's Gunter?" Yuuri asked as he sat down. His devoted advisor was far too decorous to miss a meal with the king and close compatriots.

"I haven't seen him this morning," Conrad said, with the look of one who'd just noticed something he really should have been aware of. Yuuri supposed that, as everyone else didn't get immediately tackled by Gunter upon walking into a room with him, they might not be so alive to his absence.

Yuuri had done a lot of work the day before. Maybe Gunter simply had nothing to bother him about. But he should still be hovering. Yuuri's stomach growled and he decided to worry about it later, taking his seat between Greta and Wolfram.

His fiancé glared sleepily at him. "Where were _you_ this morning?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I was taking a walk." Not technically a lie. He'd walked to the dungeon.

"You were up as late as I was. Why couldn't you sleep?" Yuuri had a sense Wolfram was just griping for the sake of it. He didn't care. And he was exhausted from giving Yuuri a private concert the night before. They'd gotten kind of carried away with that, but mostly Wolfram's zeal had been the driving force.

So Yuuri felt no remorse for messing with him. "You snore."

"I do not!" Wolfram smacked Yuuri with a spoon.

"You didn't just challenge me to go find you a sacred moonflower and fight a duel with your chosen champion or anything, right?" It seemed prudent just to be sure.

"What? With a spoon? No. That's stupid." Wolfram sniffed and Yuuri rolled his eyes.

"But you do snore," Greta said through a mouthful of toast. "And I do too. Yuuri doesn't unless he's got a stuffy nose or you keep him up really late being naughty." Both Wolfram and Yuuri shut up, knowing that if Greta felt like babbling she could easily humiliate them both. Her not-so-innocent goal accomplished, the princess returned to fashioning toast people.

After he finished, Yuuri got up to go find Gunter. He wanted his opinion on what to do with the developing situation with the assassin, and see if his notes on Anissina's interrogations were any help. He wasn't haunting the office like he usually did, so Yuuri wandered up to Giesela's room, in case she knew.

The door was open, and Yuuri peaked insid to see Gunter sitting with his daughter at a small table. They were beautifully posed, a perfect tableau. Gunter's eyes were half-closed, introspective, his head bowed. His hair spilled over his shoulders, obscuring his face. Giesela held both his hands, her head up with a sad smile on her face.

Yuuri was loath to interrupt and about to step away when Giesela noticed him. "Good morning, Your Majesty."

Gunter snapped his head around so hard Yuuri could hear his neck crack from across the room. "Your Majesty!" He immediately leapt up and bowed, his face transforming in an instant to placid helpfulness. Almost. His eyes still seemed far away. "Do you need my assistance in any way?"

"Um…" The assassin could wait. "No, I'm fine. I just noticed you weren't at breakfast." Realizing he was still standing in the hall, Yuuri stepped into the room and walked to the table. Conversations from twenty feet away didn't appeal to him. "What's wrong, Gunter? You look so sad."

"Forgive me, Your Majesty." He bowed. Before Yuuri had time to tell him off for asking forgiveness for having emotions, Gunter went on. "Today is the anniversary of a terrible tragedy in my life. It's difficult to be in high spirits."

"Well, of course it would be difficult." Yuuri wished Gunter wouldn't be so servile. He reached up at patted Gunter's shoulder, earning a look of such devotion it embarrassed him. "Take the day off, if you want." He was curious, but it seemed so impolite to ask…

"Your Majesty is so gracious and kind!" His eyes were shining. Yuuri decided to ask anyway.

"Um, what was the tragedy? If you don't mind…"

"Of course, not, Your Majesty!" He looked very pleased, actually, and Giesela smiled at Yuuri. He had a sense Gunter had wanted to tell the story pretty badly, and his daughter surely knew it much too well. It seemed likely it was her tragedy, too.

Gunter motioned Yuuri into a third seat at the table and sat down beside him, looking rather grave. "I was very young when it happened, about the princess's age. Shin Makoku was in the grip of an ugly war, a long-standing conflict with several human countries banded together."

"Oh, the war against Big Cimaron?" Yuuri realized even as he was speaking how stupid that had been. That war had been only twenty years ago.

"Big Cimaron was involved, yes," Gunter said gently, ignoring Yuuri's mistake. "It was two hundred and thirty eight years ago. My family had withdrawn to a small summer villa out in the country. Neither of my fathers was up to military duty, you see." Yuuri was about to say something about "fathers" and decided against it. "Lord Von Christ was an invalid, you see, crippled by an older wound, and Papa had a weak heart. My brother and I were both too young to serve, though Arianwyn was nearing sixteen and very excited to be joining the army in a few more months."

Yuuri was very confused now. He was willing to accept that Gunter had two fathers. Greta did too, after all. But he hadn't known Gunter had a brother. An older brother. Logically, shouldn't this Arianwyn be Lord Von Christ now? He bit his lip, suddenly guessing what the tragedy was.

"The day has been etched in my memory since. I was in the courtyard, watching Arianwyn practice. My older brother was my idol. Even at his young age, he was hailed as one of the greatest swordsmen in the land, elegant of technique and truly deadly with a blade. He was wonderfully gentle and kind, perfectly thoughtful of his little brother."

"He was also dumb as a brick and the most shameless of flirts, to be fair," came a high, bell-like voice from the door. Yuuri turned, rather annoyed on Gunter's behalf, to the door. Lady Celi was standing there. She shocked him by walking right past Yuuri and pulling Gunter into a hug. "Arianwyn would have wanted to be remembered as he was, Gunter, not the epic hero you're speaking of."

Gunter coughed. "He was rather unruly, it's true, but…"

"Oh, but nothing, Gunter. I miss him too, but you're giving His Majesty entirely the wrong idea. You sound like you're talking about some hybrid of yourself and Conrad, not Airhead."

"Um, you knew Gunter's brother too, Lady Celi?" Even Yuuri wasn't so thick as to not have figured that out. He was just trying to keep her from saying anything else to bug Gunter.

"Knew him? We were engaged!" Lady Celi smiled at the maou's consternation. "It was arranged by our parents, of course. I wasn't much older than Gunter! But I did like him. He was very handsome and funny, and certainly wonderful with a sword. I suppose he was even kind, when he wasn't teasing or just being oblivious to others' feelings. A wonderfully likeable man. But he was as dim-witted as a donkey and would flirt with anything pretty enough to catch his eye. Not bad things, just important parts of his personality that shouldn't be neglected!"

Yuuri and Gunter exchanged looks and Gunter tried to get on with the story. "Well, um, we were in the yard, I with my little wooden sword and Arianwyn executing perfect form." He glared at Lady Celi, daring her to interrupt again. She smiled winningly back at him. "We heard a commotion outside. My, um, nanny came to warn us of an attack, and took an arrow in the back as she delivered the news, the poor woman. There was no saving the house. The place was not well protected, secluded in the outskirts of our territory and intended to merely serve as a summer home. It is… likely that both my parents were already dead by the time we had the news. The war at that point was driven by pure hate and fear, ignorance on both sides and vicious aggression. The attackers were after nothing but slaughter." Gunter took a moment to collect himself. Giesela, Celi, and, after a moment's hesitation, Yuuri set hands on his shoulder.

Once the shoulder was too crowded for more comfort, Gunter resumed his tale. "Arianwyn wasted no time. He picked my up and fled the courtyard through the servant's quarters, where the stairs were narrow and pursuit seemed unlikely. But we were followed nonetheless, and, cornered, Arianwyn ran upstairs. He hid me in a closet and told me to be silent. He closed the door on me and I never saw my brother again. I heard men run into the room, heard him crash through the second-floor window, shouting taunts to draw them from me. I stayed in the closet until I was found two days later by Von Voltaire soldiers."

"That's horrible, Gunter." Yuuri felt like crying. Empathetic as he tended to be, he had immediately substituted himself and Shori. He didn't remember ever idolizing his brother in such a fashion, but maybe death did that. Gunter might have thought Arianwyn was a self-important, overprotective pest, too, when he'd been alive.

"Yes, quite an ordeal. The anniversary has always unnerved me. I'm afraid I won't be of any use to you today, Your Majesty."

"Um…" Yuuri wasn't sure about death-related traditions in Shin Makoku. He'd avoided them so far. "Would you like to visit their graves or anything?"

"Well, there's actually a monument." Gunter looked very uncomfortable again. "My fathers were dismembered rather nastily and Arianwyn's body wasn't recovered."

"Oh." Yuuri cursed mentally. He shouldn't have said anything…

"It would be very pleasant indeed to pay my respects," Gunter said quickly, perhaps seeing he had disturbed His Precious Majesty a bit. "But I wouldn't want to shirk my duties…"

"Oh, no, Gunter, go and visit." Yuuri wondered how he could convince Gunter to go. There'd be a pileup of work, but it would cheer him up considerably. And even with the castle in its current disarray, Wolfram recovering, assassin languishing in the dungeon, Lady Celi popping up everywhere to make sure no one was comfortable… Yuuri could always use a little Gunter break.

Giesela coughed politely. "The villa itself is only about a day and a half's ride from Covenant Castle, Your Majesty. If you were to come along you would see a very pretty piece of the country, learn a little history, and keep abreast of most royal duties on the way back and forth." Her expression clearly said "You owe me," and was directed equally at Yuuri and her father.

"What an excellent plan, Giesela!" Gunter looked ecstatic. To not only visit his lost family but to have his beloved maou at his side was a dream come true. "That is, of course, if you find it an agreeable proposition, Your Majesty?"

Yuuri nodded. Not exactly what he'd wanted, but he wouldn't mind a bit of a vacation. And it would apparently be a rather short trip, so he wouldn't have to feel too guilty about everything he was leaving behind. He wondered if it would be terrible of him to bring Wolfram. He and Gunter would end up at each others' throats, and he couldn't see Wolfram being exactly desirable on a solemn memorial excursion anyway.

But Yuuri knew he'd miss his fiancé a lot if he left… And have hell to pay when he got back.

Lady Celi, not for the first time, saved him. "Oh, Gunter, would you let me come along as well? I'd like to visit my old fiancé."

Gunter smiled. She was annoying, but sincere in a few things and this was one of them. There'd been many years she's commiserated with him, though she'd let Giesela take it over when she got old enough.

Giesela smiled. "Well, it's a safe road and an unofficial visit. We should only need a few retainers, really only for form's sake."

Yuuri nodded. Small was what he wanted. He was about to answer when once more Celi went over his head. "I'll organize things. I'm sure I can have an expedition ready to go by lunchtime!"

And sure enough, she did, though it consisted of herself, the Von Christs, Yuuri, Dorcas, and Wolfram, whose legs weren't sufficiently heeled to handle a horse. He had to ride behind Yuuri, which amused everyone, even Gunter. It also made them both a little uncomfortable. Giesela knew about… their new understanding, but had been pleasantly circumspect about it. Lady Celi knew Wolfram was wearing Yuuri's ring, but was left to herself to deduce.

Yuuri knew that not much had really changed. They kissed before bed, and sometimes in bed (which Greta referred to as "being naughty," despite the fact that they'd never even loosened their collars). They held hands when no one was around to see, or very circumspectly, under the table. Yuuri had Wolfram play for him and left flowers in his room sometimes.

And, really, everything felt different since he'd said those three earth-shattering words. But he liked to think no one knew. It had only been a week since the night he'd given Wolfram the ring, had his first kiss and his second in very rapid succession.

Yuuri had thought Wolfram would insist on telling everyone, but he'd proved surprisingly shy, no more interested than Yuuri in spreading the word. Maybe he, like Yuuri, was waiting for the dream to end, for the other shoe to drop.

Either way, they were in the awkward throes of really being in a relationship, not just a comic accident of an entanglement, and now they were going to share Ao's saddle for a day and a half. Wolfram's arm was casually around Yuuri's waist, so casually one couldn't help but note. Yuuri was fighting the urge to turn and kiss Wolfram and he had a sense his fiancé had a similar compulsion. They'd have to go for a ride together sometime when there weren't so many eyes on them.

Gunter led the way onto the road. Yuuri rode up beside him, mostly to distract himself from the fact that he could feel Wolfram's breath on the back of his neck. "So, Gunter, were you and your brother adopted…?" He couldn't see any other way, but he figured he'd check. Shin Makoku had surprised him before.

"Oh, yes. Our natural mother was Papa's sister. Our parents died when I was an infant, though, more victims of the war. It was a long one. Von Christ needed an heir and they both wanted children." He smiled gently. "While it lasted, it was a wonderful home."

Yuuri nodded. From behind him, Wolfram spoke. Probably, Yuuri guessed, to distract himself. "Your uncle was Odell **Karbelnikoff, right?"**

"Correct." Gunter nodded.

"Wait, would that make you Anissina's… cousin or something?" That was news to Yuuri.

"Second cousin once removed. Papa was from a different branch of the Karbelnikoffs." Gunter smiled. "Most of the great families are interrelated."

Pleasant, rather bland conversation ruled the rest of the day. Yuuri didn't want to ask more about Gunter's horrible experience. It would just make Gunter hurt worse, and Lady Celi didn't seem like a reliable source. Or maybe she was too reliable a source. While he approved of the honesty, it seemed to Yuuri that once someone was dead, sugarcoating a few faults wasn't exactly a sin. He could have asked Giesela, but she hadn't been there any more than Yuuri had. So he made pleasant conversation and was awkwardly aware of Wolfram sharing his saddle.

And that carried them through. Yuuri felt increasingly silly for not bringing up any of the reason they were going when it was so important. They also didn't talk at all about the assassin or any affairs of state. He wished Gunter would raise some important issue, but he seemed to be avoiding things as stringently as Yuuri. He was also avoiding looking at the maou and his fiancé, and Yuuri suspected that secret might be out.

Which probably had something to do with the fact that he and Wolfram had ended up making out—just a little!—while everyone was supposedly asleep. They'd stayed at a small country inn and all shared a single room full of bunkbeds. And of course Wolfram insisted on sleeping with Yuuri. It had seemed safe at the time, especially after a day spent in very close quarters with no snuggling allowed.

Yuuri was very relieved when what had been described as a small, country villa came into view. It looked at least half the size of Covenant Castle to him. The country was, as promised, very pretty, a craggy landscape of foothills and small, scrubby trees. It was a wild, perhaps treacherous kind of place, not what he'd have expected for Gunter's homeland. The road was cut into hills or curving around them, trying sometimes to bend the unyielding landscape to its will, more often surrendering to the land's majesty.

"This is where I grew up, Your Majesty." Gunter was clearly preparing the grand tour in his mind. "I only wish the associations weren't so painful. It is a lovely place, if a bit modest."

"This is modest?" Yuuri supposed he'd spent too long in an ordinary Japanese house.

Gunter pretended not to hear him. He continued to describe the house as they passed, describing the gables, whatever gables were, and the origins of some balcony, and… Yuuri lost track. Coming up on the place, he was very impressed by the pretty, rambling mansion, but he couldn't care much less about the awnings. Wolfram seemed to be nodding off on his shoulder, which seemed rude even to Yuuri. But he didn't rouse his fiancé. They could see the house long before they got there, and Gunter's unwanted lecture had gone on for half an hour.

Yuuri stared up at the door as they waited for Gunter to fetch a groom to take the horses. He was getting close to having a bit of a fit about how messy he'd suddenly decided the house was. Once actually inside, all Yuuri noticed was a bit of dust, not unconscionable in a house where no one lived but a handful of servants. But he wasn't going to try to stop Gunter from fussing.

Someone else was. "Gunter, you _must_ take His Majesty to the monument. We should all go." Lady Celi looked rather subdued, which for her meant her smile had lost a few watts. Yuuri agreed, nodding emphatically. Wolfram nodded too, at least mildly curious, if nothing else. (He'd gotten a lot brattier toward Gunter since Yuuri had given him the ring.) Dorcas nodded because everyone else did. Giesela had just walked past them all and gone straight there. She hadn't been to visit in a long time, but she loved feeling close to the grandparents and uncle she'd never known.

"It's out in the courtyard, roughly where Arianwyn and I were standing when the alarm was called." Yuuri did pay attention this time. The architectural information might still be dull, but it had significance. "The monument was designed by Yahel Augustine." Gunter held the door for everyone to pass into the bright, rather overgrown courtyard, a patch of ground that seemed to Yuuri to belong to the wild countryside around rather than the house, rocky and bursting with thorny, sturdy plants more interested in taking over than being ornamental. Pretty, but it didn't suit Gunter well at all.

Giesela looked more at home, standing inside the marble mausoleum. The others followed her. It was a sturdy, small stone house, simple in design with no adornment but a gargoyle on each corner of the flat roof and the Von Christ sigil on the door. Inside were three very elegant oil portraits. Wolfram stopped hovering uncomfortably close to Yuuri to go look at them. Poor thing. He was just as interested in painting even now that he'd given up trying.

Yuuri went to look as well as there was nothing else inside. One portrait was of a rather distinguished looking man with salt and pepper hair in a neat ponytail. His eyes were green and sharp and his expression a bit severe. Yuuri found him slightly menacing, and judged him to be Lord Von Christ, the one Gunter called Father.

On the wall opposite was a slightly younger man, his hair a soft lavender, eyes the same color. He did look a bit like Gunter, though his face was rounder. He looked very regal indeed, a perfect courtier. So this must be the biological uncle, Odell Karbelnikoff.

Between them was a smaller portrait of a boy Yuuri's age. He certainly was, as Lady Celi stated once more as Yuuri approached, very handsome. He might just rival Wolfram. He had a thin, elfish face, high cheekbones and delicate jaw making him very androgynous indeed, but definitely attractive. His hair was jet black and his wide eyes somehow a darker black, his face pale and serene. Yuuri was staring up at the portrait, imagining it was small and rather less formal because no one had thought the poor young man would have to be immortalized so soon. Then Wolfram got a hold of his ear and Yuuri was dragged backward, taken off guard but not really surprised.

Who else could be jealous of a two-hundred year old portrait?

"Wolfram, don't you like Mommy's painting?" Yuuri was sure she'd said it only so Wolfram would make that horrified little noise. He understood. He found it pretty cute, too. "I had to paint it quickly. He was so twitchy." She leaned in conspiratorily. "And Lord Von Christ smiled every moment he wasn't having his picture painted. Uncle Odell could never keep so straight a face."

Yuuri smiled and nodded. She was being nicer to them than she had to Arianwyn. And it really was interesting to think of the way death changed perception. He just didn't think it was appropriate while Gunter was posing again, breeze from the door catching his robes and hair as he gazed on the portrait of his father, crying in perfect silence beside his dutiful daughter.

They left Gunter there. He was done giving tours and lectures. Yuuri and Wolfram ended up going for a walk along an overgrown trail behind the house, hand in hand because no one was there to see them.

"Were you really jealous of a portrait of a dead guy?" Yuuri was getting bold enough to question Wolfram's behavior once in a while. Often with interesting results.

"Hmph. As if that would make me jealous. I just don't see any reason to let you indulge your philandering ways. It's not like it hurts me any, but it's not good for the Maou to coddle his own vices like that." Wolfram knew it was a silly argument, and he didn't pursue any further.

Yuuri changed the subject. "Are you feeling alright? If you can't direct a horse you probably shouldn't be walking somewhere this rocky." They should have asked Giesela, or tried to find a cane. Even Wolfram wouldn't mind the cane if no one was here to see.

"I'm fine. That _woman_ just likes to boss me around. And you let her."

"Yes, Wolfram, she's the doctor." Yuuri sighed fondly. Well, there was one surefire way to make Wolfram be careful. Yuuri wound an arm around his waist. Wolfram smiled much more softly and blushed a little.

Was there _anyone_ nearby? Yuuri looked carefully over his shoulder and brought his lips to Wolfram's. They almost ever got to steal a kiss in the open, under the sun. And Wolfram's hair looked its best in bright sunlight.

His fiancé surprised him by turning away. Yuuri was about to feel rejected when he realized Wolfram hadn't actually turned down the kiss but been distracted. They had wandered to the foot of a hill that seemed to have collapsed on itself, heaps of random rubble in unlike-looking, precarious heaps. "Let's climb it!"

"Um, Wolfram, broken legs?" They weren't _technically _still broken. Giesela's maryoku had done most of the healing. But he was still weak.

"Yuuri…" Wolfram turned with a devilish look on his eyes. He ran one fingertip up Yuuri's chest, which just melted the maou right off. He topped that off by leaning in and speaking right into Yuuri's ear. "Climb the rocks with me…"

He was evil. Evil, evil Wolfram. Yuuri sighed and wrapped his arm even more tightly around his fiancé's waist. "Slowly." The word was a sigh. He gave up.

"There are a lot of rockslides around here," Wolfram said in his usual I-know-more-than-you tones. He was as bad as Gunter sometimes. "We're near Voltaire country. All the borders are surrounded by mountains." Yuuri just nodded. He was considering trying to get Wolfram to stop, mostly in the hopes that he'd be persuaded some more. He didn't really like being teased in retrospect, but it was nice while it happened.

He didn't have to stop Wolfram, though. The next step he took nearly knocked them both off the side of the hill, and Yuuri pulled a muscle somewhere catching him. Wolfram snarled at the ground angrily. "Something tripped me!"

"Probably a rock." First a portrait, now the ground. Wolfram was in a real mood today.

"Of course it was a rock, moron." Oblivious to Yuuri's search for what he'd pulled and how careful he should be standing up, Wolfram glared at the ground. Yuuri followed his gaze, waiting for him to get tired of being mad at rocks.

"What's this?"

"A rock, Wolfram…" Yuuri looked, just to be polite. It did seem to be a rock, but it was a weird one, at least. Completely black, but very smooth, and perfectly curved. "Oh. It's a… strange rock."

"It's an Eternity Stone!"

"Oh." Yuuri wasn't sure if he was expected to know what that was.

Wolfram noted his obvious ignorance. "It's a rare ability in certain Mazoku. Though it's hard to tell if it's there at all, because it only manifests under extreme stress. Essentially, if you're dying and there's no one to help, you can preserve yourself in that moment until someone comes along." Wolfram shocked Yuuri by dropping to his knees. It must hurt his tender legs and there was dust all over. He took off his engagement ring, tucked it carefully in a pocket, and began to pull rocks off it. "Who knows how long ago this hill fell in? Someone might have been trapped in here for a year!"

"Wolfram…" It was rather sweet of him. In someone else, it would be a matter of common decency, but even the least pleasantry was a nice surprise from Wolfram. Yuuri knelt down next to him, but he hadn't removed two stones before Wolfram shook his head.

"It's buried pretty deep. We'd better go get some help back at the house." In other words, make Dorcas do it. "It's too bad we don't have Gwendal along."

Yuuri agreed earth maryoku would have been nice and helped Wolfram up. Ouch. His back was going to complain a while. He wondered if he could get a massage out of Wolfram, considering he'd only wrenched the muscle in the first place to keep him from tumbling to a messy death, or at least serious discomfort. Then he thought a little harder about a massage from Wolfram and decided that was a much better thing to devote his thinking to for a while.

They took a long time getting back to the house. Wolfram was hobbling, Yuuri thought, a little more than he had to. Yuuri didn't object to being leaned on heavily, but the fact remained that it was holding them up.

Lady Celi was sunning by the front door, wearing a decidedly skimpy bikini, Dorcas in place to fan her. Wolfram immediately stopped being so clingy, which just seemed to cause his mother amusement. "Um, Mother, Yuuri and I found an Eternity Stone on our walk."

"Oh, my, how exciting! I hope you didn't try to open it. That can be rather exhausting." She immediately sat up, waving Dorcas back.

"Of course not. It was buried in some sort of avalanche and whoever's inside is on the edge of death." Wolfram hmphed, but only a little, because it was his mommy.

"Aren't you clever, Wolfram." She stood and leaned down to pinch Wolfram's cheek, humiliating him deeply and amusing Yuuri just as much. Though he did wish he wasn't staring into Lady Celi's cleavage… again… "We'll need a competent healer and a few strong pairs of hands… and I suppose Gunter can come along." She snapped her fingers and a rather pleased looking Dorcas draped a robe over her shoulders.

Dorcas went in to fetch the household and it was discovered that one of Gunter's servants had a knack for maryoku and a specialty in shifting earth. Giesela brought her field kit and that dangerous glint in her eye. Gunter came out soliloquizing.

"Some poor citizen under my rulership is bound, unhelped, and has perhaps lain in such a fashion for years. I have been derelict in my duties, and once more the kind wisdom of the Maou has shown me the dreadful error of my unfeeling ways."

"At least three of those words were made up, right?" Yuuri whispered to Wolfram, who was all of a sudden perfectly able to walk unaided.

"I think so." Wolfram snickered a tiny bit and they let Gunter go on. He seemed to have the intensity turned all the way up today, ready to direct fiery eyes and a perfect pose at any situation that might arise. Admirable, but a little disturbing.

"I've walked this road a hundred times or more and never noticed the least thing out of the ordinary. I vow henceforth not to fail the least one of my people, in my flawed but earnest imitation of His Majesty the Maou!" It had been going on like that a while when Wolfram stopped and pointed up the hillside. He knew he wouldn't be able to climb far without leaning on Yuuri, and with the audience he was a bit more reticent.

Yuuri stepped up for him. "It was right here that Wolfram tri—noticed that something was out of the ordinary." It was easy to scramble halfway up the hill without half-carrying his fiancé. He found the curved black stone with relative ease, remembering the shelf of rock Wolfram had almost fallen off to certain jabbing with many pointy rocks.

Extracting the Eternity Stone was fairly easy. The steward, a thin, gray-haired man named Petar who spoke to Giesela like she was Greta's age, drew away the other stones that covered it. He looked thoughtful. "There's been a couple good rockslides on this here hill. One just a week or two back. No telling when this poor bastard was buried."

"It's a strange place for someone to trigger the Eternity Stone. The villa is in sight, and the Von Christs have a very good standing with their vassals." Giesela was very matter-of-fact about it, not bragging but stating a fact. Yuuri wouldn't have blamed her for a little bragging. She walked to the stone and considered. "It's easy enough to unlock it, but it can take a lot of power, depending on the age of the seal. Someone who won't be needed to take care of whatever was in the midst of killing our poor victim should release them."

"I've never been very gifted at healing," Lady Celi said cheerfully. She leaned over the stone, examining it carefully. Yuuri couldn't tell what for and looked to Wolfram.

"There's a single fault on any given Eternity Stone. That's the keyhole, and anyone with a bit of maryoku can open it. You never know who will find you." Wolfram tilted his head, considering. "Though most people claim not to have even known they did it. It just happens. No one knows if it was something created in ancient times tied to bloodlines or a spontaneous development. As it only happens when you're about to die alone, it's likely that many people have it and never use it." Yuuri nodded. Wolfram got such fun from being a know-it-all, and for once it was useful.

"Aha!" Lady Celi beamed and ran a delicate finger over a tiny vein of white crystal in the stone. There was a blinding flash of light and she was on the ground, looking very spent, like she'd nearly fainted. But Yuuri was much less interested in Lady Celi's situation than that of the boy who had sprung up when the black crystal dissolved into light.

He was holding a small, light sword and lunged immediately at Dorcas, who had the misfortune to be standing conveniently nearby. The sword missed, though, a wild, desperate swing from exhausted, trembling arms. The young warrior was clearly spent. He was battered and bruised, cut in several places and slashed viciously in the side, blood streaming out as though it had never been interrupted. He looked very young and frightened, and was even shorter than Yuuri.

He then got a proper look at Dorcas and dropped his sword. "This is different… you're Mazoku… Where are they? What happened?"

His voice sounded very familiar. Yuuri had heard it many times before. For a moment he couldn't place it, but then the exact same voice came from behind him. "By Shinou's power…" Oh, yes, that was Gunter's voice when agitated.

And this was unquestionably the boy from the portrait. Arianwyn.

This fact had dawned on everyone else rather faster than Yuuri, and all were staring in shock. Except Giesela, who strode forward in her usual no nonsense fashion and wrapped her arms around the shaking boy, feeding her gentle healing power into the wound. The bleeding slowed, as did the shaking, and color crept back into his cheeks. Only a little. That face didn't look like it had ever seen much color, but at least he seemed far less corpselike.

"There you go. The wound wasn't deep. It was just the combined stress and blood loss. A day's rest and I bet you'll be right as rain." She smiled pleasantly.

Maybe Giesela had shamed them into it, maybe the shock had just worn off, but the others snapped out of it. Gunter was the first to actually speak. "Ari…"

The boy looked over in confusion, eyes slightly out of focus at first. Comprehension dawned with disbelief in his eyes. "Gungun?"

Gunter ran to him, pressing his big brother, now a head shorter than he, to his chest with tears in his eyes. "Ari!"

Giesela pitied him. Leaning in a bit to speak around her father's hug, she greeted her uncle. "Hello. I'm your niece. You've been in an Eternity Stone for two-hundred and thirty eight years, which is more than two-hundred over the record."

"Oh." He blinked a few times. "Well, that's completely unfair. Gungun doesn't get to be taller than me. I better grow some more, damn it!"

"I think he may have become a bit unhinged in that rock," Yuuri whispered, looking askew at the boy.

"No. That's about usual for Airhead." Lady Celi picked herself up and dusted off with a glove. "Hello, Arianwyn, darling!"

"Lili! Oh, hell, everyone's taller than me. …I think I'm going to faint. Just so people know." He closed his eyes and neatly tipped onto Gunter's chest.

Ten minutes later, everyone but Yuuri and Wolfram were gathered around a bed that hadn't been touched in centuries. In another five minutes, Wolfram limped up behind them, once again gaining the ability to walk alone when there were eyes upon him. Yuuri was going to ask for that massage just to see the look on his face. Revenge.

Gunter paced, muttering and grinning and proving the two could be done at the same time. "With no body every recovered it was feared for some time that he might have met with a worse fate than death on the battlefield, but after a year passed with no request for ransom or any word one naturally assumed he had been basely murdered by those brutal assassins, never imagining he lay under a layer of rubble waiting to be found, and come to think of it I believe I remember their being a rock slid the very day of the attack, popularly viewed as the very land mourning the brutal strike against its rightful rulers and the heart of its people…" Yuuri stopped listening, though he did wonder how long Gunter could keep his entire rant in a single sentence.

"Alright, I'm sitting up now. Really. Me lying completely still is all an illusion. And illusion of laziness. Okay, I guess I'll actually get up now… Someone want to loan me a hand or two? It's nice to have a spare. Ha. I can't believe that sounded funny in my head. Think I should open my eyes now?" Arianwyn sat up and blinked. "Hello. So, I missed two hundred years, did I? Anything good happen?"

"Brother!" Gunter threw himself at Arianywyn to hug him again. Knowing what an unexpected Gunter hug could be like, and that the delicate looking boy was injured, Yuuri took a step forward to suggest a different course of action. Before his foot touched the ground, Arianwyn had jumped up and vaulted onto Gunter's shoulders, crouching there like some odd little pixie on a very confused flower.

"Hmm, I could get used to tall Gungun." He jumped off onto the bed again. "Glad you got away okay. Or hid in a closet okay. Whichever." He kissed the tip of Gunter's nose. "Um… Father and Papa…" Gunter shook his head sadly and the mindless exuberance slipped out of the boy for a moment, replaced by a frown that really didn't suit his spritelike face.

There was a long moment of silence. "So… Um, who're these guys?" He looked a bit strained, grasping to get his enthusiasm for cheerful chaos back.

Gunter smiled. "Dorcas, a loyal servant of Covenant Castle. Lady Celi you know, of course."

"And she's much cuter since she grew boobs." Everyone but Arianwyn and Lady Celi blushed. The lady herself bowed with as much elegant composure as if she'd been told her dress was becoming.

Gunter coughed, and then moved on to his usual favorite subject. "This is the current Maou, the great Shibuya Yuuri, who discovered the Eternity Stone in which you were sealed."

"Oh, really, that was Wolfram." Gracious with credit where credit was due, Yuuri nodded to his fiancé.

"I see…" Arianwyn's face took on a look Yuuri wished he recognized, as Gunter and Lady Celi clearly did. "Well, I owe you then, don't I?" With a flip of his long, midnight-dark locks as elegant as any of Wolfram's, Arianwyn rose with perfect grace and gripped Wolfram's hand, raising it to his lips and lingering much too long for an innocent gesture. "Any debt a man of your loveliness would seek to collect may be wrung from me without complaint." His smile was far more wicked than any Wolfram could have managed.

Yuuri bit back a growl and instead made the kind of noise a punch in the stomach might draw from him. Wolfram paled slightly, then blushed, then paled again. No one had ever dared flirt with him so brazenly. He'd scared off most admirers in the past with icy politeness and, when that didn't work, glowering, insults, and the occasional challenge to a duel.

"Wolfram is His Majesty's _fiancé_," Gunter said a bit weakly. Lady Celi was laughing delightedly, and even Giesela joined in with a giggle. Dorcas was trying to keep himself from laughing.

"So just engaged? Excellent. I can work with that." His smile made Yuuri want to steal Wolfram's dagger and drop it at Arianwyn's feet. He restrained himself with minimum difficulty. Even where Wolfram was concerned, he wasn't the dueling type. And he sensed he was in trouble for that.

"Brother, please don't get yourself executed just when I finally have you back?"


	2. What's a Maou to do?

**Author's Note:** _Alright. I'm a bad person. This update is horrendously overdue. In my defense, I've just been getting into the swing of the year. I have what's really a nineteen credit semester, though they won't give me one because the lab is tied to the class and not an option. Three hours a week and I could get one damn credit hour… But yeah. Fencing, Cell and Developmental Biology with lab, Minerology with unacknowledged lab, Calculus, and Anthropology. And getting my major declared. And arranging and filling hours for my computer center job. And being on the executive board of the Sci-fi/fantasy club, and a planning committee for our geek convention._

_Maybe a better defense would be that if you send pirates to kidnap me, I won't really be able to update, so you kind of have to fume in silence. But I'm still sorry. I'll try and get the next chapter out in a reasonable amount of time._

_Oh, and speaking of, Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day._

"Covenant Castle doesn't look any different, at least. It's weird what's changed and what's stayed the same." Arianwyn stared up at the walls. It was the first time in all the ride home he'd stared at anything but Wolfram, so Yuuri was pleased to find his attention wandering. Wolfram… he wasn't sure about. As soon as they were safely back in the castle…

Actually, Yuuri had no idea what he was going to do. Any plan he tried to make ended up making him nervous. Wolfram was too unpredictable about this sort of thing. He might be mad that Yuuri was jealous, or flattered, or mad that Yuuri wasn't jealous enough. The maou sighed. He _was_ rather jealous, so he'd just try being honest. Novel idea.

"You'll be sharing my quarters until such time as more permanent arrangements are made," Gunter said politely. He'd been avoiding for a while actually _asking_ whether Arianwyn was welcome to stay, but would of course never presume to say he could without the Maou's consent. A consent Yuuri was tempted not to give, though he'd never be so thoughtless toward Gunter.

Still. Tripping to accidentally knock into Wolfram… What, four or five times? (And not hearing when Yuuri yelled at him about Wolfram's recent injuries.) Taking Yuuri's seat next to Wolfram at dinner. Getting _confused_ and slipping into Wolfram's bunk—thank heaven Wolfram had already slipped into Yuuri's. Hopping off his borrowed horse to snatch up a wild rose growing next to the trail and slipping it behind Wolfram's ear, reciting a love poem extemporaneously "because the stars called for it," helping Wolfram on and off the horse before Yuuri could move…

It wouldn't have bothered him nearly so much if Arianwyn wasn't so graceful, so flawlessly handsome. He seemed to have escaped a Heian court diary, the dashing poet, swashbuckler, nobleman, and seducer Yuuri had always been annoyed by when he had to study the things in class. And Wolfram's reactions were so ambiguous.

Yuuri didn't blame him. He'd never have been able to think of such romantic things to do. He fell over his own feet just walking around half the time, and all he ever did for Wolfram was give him a few nice presents and keep him company. Yuuri wished it was enough to just be himself and tell Wolfram every so often how wonderful he was. He'd thought it was until Arianwyn Von Christ had to take up composing sonnets about shining emerald eyes.

Wolfram, if Conrad was to believed, didn't enjoy being flirted with, didn't really like attention much. Yuuri could as easily make friends among the general populace of Big Cimaron as doubt Conrad, so that meant there really was something special about Arianwyn. He hated himself for worrying, but…

But maybe Wolfram deserved someone as handsome, cultured, and charming as himself, not the perennially awkward Yuuri.

The drawbridge was lowered, and an assortment of townsfolk with nothing better to be doing enthusiastically greeted the returning monarch and his slightly expanded retinue. Arianwyn was perfectly uninhibited by being unknown, and bowed and waved more graciously than Yuuri could have ever managed as he rode through the crowd. Yuuri wondered what would happen if his horse reared, hoping it would happen. Then it did, when a cat ran in front of it, and Arianwyn kept his seat effortlessly, hair tossing about in the wind as he cooed the horse back into behaving.

Wolfram coughed oddly and Yuuri wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. He spurred Ao a bit harder than he usually would have and hurried toward the castle. He managed to get down to help Wolfram before Arianwyn skipped over, if only because the lovely young man was too busy with a couple of adoring fans he'd picked up riding a few blocks through the city.

"Thank you," Wolfram said with a smile that made Yuuri feel a little better. Then he realized people had seen him getting help and looked sulky. Yuuri was trying not to feel like scum when Gwendal appeared at his shoulder.

"Did you enjoy your trip?" There was nothing in his tone to suggest Gwendal had the least interest in the answer. He was holding a bundle of scrolls and envelopes. "Your request to your allies has been answered by most nations in the alliance."

"Oh, good." Yuuri was glad he had real work to do, suddenly. No matter how much better suited they might be, no one could take that position from him. Or he was pretty sure. "What did they say?"

"It was neither my place nor my proper task to open Your Majesty's mail," Gwendal said darkly. "Though if you had been gone any longer I would have had no choice." He raised an eyebrow and Yuuri felt suitably chastised for… accompanying a good friend on a trip to visit his parents' grave.

Yuuri stood up straight and looked as solemn as he knew how. "Okay, I'll read them. And, um, you and Gunter, and Lady Celi, and Conrad…" He realized how many he was listing. "And anyone else you feel would be appropriate should meet me in the study as soon as possible to discuss our course of action." Yuuri spotted Doria sweeping a step and called to her to set up a room for Gunter's brother whenever she could.

All he could do for now was be the best ruler he could and hope Arianwyn didn't turn out to be much better and more entitled than he as well. He confused Gwendal with his sense of purpose and wounded Wolfram a bit by charging off just to read some letters. No one else really noticed he was gone. Gunter was showing off Arianwyn to a shocked and intrigued audience, most of whom had at least a vague idea of the decimation that had fallen upon the Von Christs two centuries before.

Yuuri half forgot about jealousy as he read, taken up by actual duty then by distress. He had answers from seven different nations. The first letter he read, a parchment-paper scroll from Caloria in Lady Flinn's pretty calligraphy, was warm and personal, asking after an assortment of friends before addressing the issue at hand. Yuuri smiled to find that she was in favor of making a public example of releasing the boy, under appropriately careful probation, and announcing to all human nations, allied or not, that there would be no animosity for the action of a misguided few.

He liked the way she thought.

But every answer after that… Cavalcade wanted an equally public execution. Francshire—in Lyla's handwriting, Yuuri noticed—suggested that he be quietly disposed of so that even an admittance of the attack could be avoided. It would make the alliance look weak that such a young, clumsy assassin had gotten in. And the opinions thereafter devolved into what Yuuri felt was just sheer grisliness. How could someone who ran a country have such ideas? Slow poisoning or swift beheading, everyone but Lady Flinn wanted the boy dead.

Conrad and Gwendal arrived a few minutes after he'd been through all the replies to find him with his forehead leaning on the desk, wishing he had a solution. Gwendal coughed and Yuuri sat bolt upright, hoping he didn't look the picture of defeat. He certainly felt it.

"They all want to kill him." Yuuri's voice was deadpan and his eyes empty. His decision had been to let the alliance defend itself. He couldn't go back on that. Not and hold together the peace and equality he'd been working so hard to achieve. And maybe they were right. Maybe the only way to protect peace was to destroy anyone who threatened it.

But Yuuri couldn't accept that.

"There's wisdom in that." Gwendal frowned. He'd have made the same choice as the leaders of their allied nations. The boy and all he stood for were a threat. He was young and rather sickly, a loss to no one but the twisted ideals he served. Though Gwendal did feel a certain sympathy. He knew how youth, earnestness, and confusion could be used for evil purposes.

"But it's not right." Yuuri would really brook no argument on that point. What should be done about it, how to defend him, whether it was possible or a good idea to do so… He'd take all the advice he could get on that. But he would never change his mind about the injustice of executing the boy in the dungeon.

Though when Wolfram limped in behind the rest, Yuuri supposed maybe a public flogging would do him good.

"It's unlikely that you can convince the other rulers to change their minds." Conrad looked apologetic, though in the end he, too, would have condemned the boy left to himself, if only for the threat against Yuuri.

Yuuri took that not as a caution but as an idea. He'd been too focused on getting out of their advice to think of changing it. "They haven't seen him. He's so young and small, and confused. He's sure we're going to kill him. Of course he'd want to attack us if all Mazoku are as evil as he thinks." He bit his lip, considering, while Gwendal shot Conrad a withering look.

"What are you coming up with, you wimp?" Wolfram knew that look in Yuuri's eye as he stared at the desk, his distressed frown slowly morphing into an idealistic smile. "Is this going to get anyone captured, lost, or in a fight with a sandbear?"

Yuuri missed the affected scorn in Wolfram's voice, or rather was too used to it to even process it. "I was just thinking. What if we change his mind first? Show him the kingdom, Mazoku kids playing the same way human children do, the stores, the countryside… None of it is really different here. And maryoku is only used for convenience. How scared is he going to be of someone digging a foundation with magic?" Yuuri looked up and smiled around the room, looking for approval.

Gwendal was impassive, Conrad tolerant, and Wolfram rolling his eyes. Not as officiously as usual, but he obviously wasn't even going to pretend to think much of it. "Why are you so trusting? People aren't going to see the light just because you show them a few pretty pictures."

"I want to try, alright! I want to save his life!" Yuuri stood up, wounded. He'd started off in a bad enough mood, and Wolfram's failure to rebuff Arianwyn was at the root of it. This was exacerbating things. "Sometimes it's just about doing the right thing!" His voice was rising a bit sharply.

"Oh, what a life to invest yourself in. Next time I want you to be polite to someone I'll make sure to have them murder me first!" Wolfram was perfectly justified in that comment, but Yuuri didn't want to admit it.

"Alright, stop it, you two," Conrad said, a bit nonplussed. He wasn't good at lover's spats. He didn't so much as allow himself the experience.

"Polite! From someone who wouldn't know common decency if it danced naked in front of him?" Yuuri also knew that didn't make sense. He was past caring.

"And that from someone with less than no interest in learning basic etiquette? Can you behave yourself for five minutes?" Wolfram was near tears and shouting more to make up for it. He really couldn't see why Yuuri was so mad at him all of a sudden.

"Really. Stop it." Gwendal had actually spoken up, and he had even less idea what had set Yuuri off.

"Would you prefer someone who did? I'm sure Arianwyn would be pleased to go over all the rules of fine society with you." Yuuri felt like he'd pried some barb out of his flesh with that, the poisonous suspicions that had been creeping deep into his mind the whole way back.

"What?" Wolfram went pale, then red, then pale again. "You think I'm you, getting distracted by the first pretty face that comes along?"

Oh, he'd called Arianwyn pretty… Yuuri's eyes narrowed. "You don't seem distracted. I'd say it's pretty deliberate."

Wolfram stared at him a minute, then whirled and fled the room. Yuuri was stunned by that. A second after he slammed the door there was a loud thump from the hallway. He must have fallen. But there were running footsteps before Yuuri could even think of going to check.

Oh, hell…

"Gracious, Your Majesty," Gwendal said. His tone was measured and stoic, but he looked a bit angry. He was clueless, but he knew Wolfram hadn't looked anywhere else since Yuuri had slapped him that fateful night, hadn't really paid much attention before that either. He had many vices, but philandering wasn't one of them.

Yuuri sat down slowly. Why had he done that? He never lost his temper like that. And he hadn't been fair at all. Wolfram might not have rebuffed Arianwyn's advances as roughly as Yuuri would have liked, but he hadn't flirted back at all. He was just… jealous. And he had no good excuse. He had to go talk to Wolfram, but he'd been nasty enough to make sure his fiancé wouldn't have any interest in seeing him.

"Excuse me." Wolfram might not want to see him, but Yuuri had to try. And what if he'd hurt himself when he fell? His legs were still sore a lot of the time, and delicate. Giesela had scolded him plenty about not being careful, saying he could easily rebreak his battered bones while they were still weak. Yuuri walked past Conrad's rather confused attempt at comfort and advice, hurrying to Wolfram's room.

He knocked at got no response. Putting his ear to the door, he heard sniffling. He'd made Wolfram cry. He was worse than scum. "Wolfram, can I come in?"

"Can I stop you?" His voice wavered only a little. "What did you forget to say?"

"That I'm jealous and horrible?" he tried as he opened the door a crack, blushing. Wolfram was sitting on the bed with his chin in his hands, cheeks unmistakably a bit damp. "I'm sorry, Wolfram."

"If you trust me that little, I should probably apologize." His voice was so stiff it seemed his words would break if pushed. "I've obviously given you reason."

"No…" He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "No, I… I don't trust myself. He's so much better than me at everything, and he's as pretty as you." Yuuri sighed. "He's a real double black."

Wolfram smiled for a moment at being called pretty, then soured again. "_You_ are the Maou and my fiancé. _You_ won my love. I'm not such an easily swayed slut."

"Wolfram, I would never call you a…" Yuuri swallowed. "I wouldn't blame you if you wanted him."

"And I don't! And I never suggested I did!" Wolfram flung a pillow at Yuuri. "And if you think I did it's because you don't trust me, you shameless…" His eyes narrowed and he trailed off.

Yuuri looked away. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I won't do it again."

"Oh, wonderful apology." He sat with his arms crossed, but there was a sort of grudging acquiescence in his voice. "It's only because you're such a flirt you suspect everyone else."

"Sure." Yuuri didn't want to argue. He walked to the bed and Wolfram stood. They just looked at each other for a long moment and then Wolfram hugged him. Yuuri melted. He loved being held against Wolfram. Even with the weight and muscle he'd lost recovering, he had an amazing body. And there were more important things to think about. Yuuri tried not to be distracted. "I… I'll have him executed if you think it's the right thing to do. I won't forgive what he did to you." And that was true. He really couldn't let that go, though he still wanted to defend the boy.

"Wimp." Wolfram kissed him. "You won't do it even if I tell you to. You'll just keep trying to right everything that's wrong with the world." He sighed and let go. "Try your stupid idea if you must."

Yuuri smiled shakily. "Thank you."

"You didn't need my permission, you wimp. You're my ruler." Wolfram hit him with a pillow again, but he was smirking this time. Just a bit.

"So am I forgiven?" He just needed to be sure of that.

"No. You're a faithless, suspicious lout." Wolfram stuck his tongue out at Yuuri. His eyes were hard to read. Yuuri suspected he was still pretty pissed off, but at least he was willing to be playful about it. And considering all the times he'd chased Yuuri through the castle with large, pointy weapons for looking in a maid's direction, that was fair.

Though Yuuri knew it was different. Jealousy was in Wolfram's nature, but not his own. He was going out of his way to be a creep. He'd keep feeling awful all day… which would probably please Wolfram.

"So get on with it. I'm coming, of course. I'll have to make sure you're properly protected. Left to your own devices you'll just take him out for a walk by yourself." Wolfram walked to the door. And he limped a bit, but Yuuri didn't quite dare offer him a hand.

Yuuri let Wolfram arrange whatever he felt was appropriate as he walked down to the dungeon. The boy was looking even less healthy that Yuuri had last seen him. Josak materialized out of some corner to comment.

"He's not eating."

"Really?" Yuuri felt strange, talking about him when he could hear. But he was staring at his feet, pretending the two Mazoku weren't there.

"Yep. Even Anissina can't get a word out of him." Josak looked rather sulky. He could usually charm anyone, one way or another.

"What about you?" Yuuri looked up hopefully. "You're half human, so—"

"Stop right there, Your Delusional Majesty." Josak's tone was teasing, but he looked a little sad. "If anything, he hates me more than you. Neither side is eager to embrace half-bloods. You know that. You've seen what humans do to anyone who allies themselves with Shin Makoku."

"I know that, but…" Yuuri looked away. It should be that way. They should be able to understand each other. He knew there was no good reason it shouldn't be. Josak patted his head and Yuuri smiled appreciatively. At least people agreed with him in principle.

Conrad walked down the hall with Dorcas behind him. He jangled a ring of keys at Yuuri with a smile and then opened the door. "Come along, we've got an excursion planned." He caught the boy's arm. He twisted away and gave Conrad a look of what could only be pure terror.

Yuuri watched Conrad's attempts to be gentle disintegrate. He eventually had to carry him out. Did he think he was going to be eaten? Yuuri only gave token resistance as Conrad tied his arms behind his back. Who knew what he might do?

Wolfram was waiting with Gwendal and four soldiers on the lawn, holding horses ready. He got onto his own horse, and Yuuri winced. The boy was loaded onto a slow, calm old mare who could be led from Conrad's horse. Yuuri rode next to him, and didn't say anything when Conrad gave him a significant look and rested a hand on his sword. He knew that sometimes precautions needed to be taken. Wolfram was on his other side, after all.

At least he was close, even if they didn't actually share the saddle. He smiled at Wolfram and got a sort of irritated snort. Yuuri's have called him moody if it wasn't his own damn fault.

"Will you tell me your name?" Yuuri spurred Ao to lead the little procession but let Gwendal do the actual directing. His attention was on the boy.

"Where are you taking me?"

"For a look around the city. The capital is very pretty this time of year, and I thought maybe a look around might show you we're not all that dangerous." Yuuri nodded at a flower-seller whose wares he often sampled. She was a pretty girl with dark green curls exploding from under a sensible bonnet. Yuuri found her absolutely charming, an escapee from some impressionist painting.

"Flirt."

"Wolfram, she's twelve and she's selling daisies." Yuuri knew he'd been terrible, but really. If he wasn't allowed to be jealous of a beautiful, talented, strong, poised, and actively flirtatious double black who lived up to reputation, then Wolfram could ease up on throwing fits about Yuuri smiling.

"She's a Mazoku?" The boy's voice was very small. He was clearly encountering a bit of cognitive dissonance as they kept up their ride, heading for the marketplace.

"Yes. Her name's Jessamine, I think." Yuuri was ecstatic. They might have made progress. But by the time he looked around, the boy was back to fear and determined hatred. He would not be swayed by the will of the wicked Maou of the Mazoku.

The road got a little narrower and there were more people about. Two shrine maidens walked by gossiping, each with a basket of groceries on one arm and a spear on the other. Yuuri's favorite bootleg Maoucakes were being sold from a tiny stall. Yuuri smiled. He loved his city, and his sincere enjoyment was most obvious. "Look around. Do we look dangerous? Just because we use a different kind of magic doesn't mean there's an important difference. Why don't you believe humans and Mazoku can live in peace?"

"Liar!" He didn't even know what he thought the maou was lying about. It just wasn't true. And he wouldn't change his mind. The very thought… it hurt. He was well trained, exhaustively brainwashed from his childhood.

Yuuri looked to Wolfram for help. He got none. He scanned the crowd for another good example and saw a familiar face. "Jaurah!"

The jeweler turned, smiling graciously when he saw the maou. "Your Majesty." He bowed gracefully, managing not to be the least upset by the crowd of shoppers. He didn't even teeter.

"How are you?" Yuuri was very fond of the man whose artistry had so helped in winning Wolfram. And he thought his fiancé softened a little. He was definitely toying with his ring.

"Excellent in general, Your Majesty. Who is your companion, if I may be so bold?"

"He's an assassin who's refused to give his name and almost killed Wolfram." Yuuri considered. "But I think I'll make him crack."

"You will not!" Even the human seemed to realize the ridiculousness of arguing about his implacability. He blushed slightly and looked away from maou and jeweler.

"Hmm. Hey, tell me what's evil about him." Yuuri smiled apologetically at the artisan to apologize for trying to make an example. "What's frightening? He sits in a shop all day making beautiful gems into exquisite jewelry." _Exquisite_ was a word he'd picked up from Lady Celi.

"Well, to be fair, some of my tools are fairly sharp." Jaurah tried a smile. He looked confused, but dealing with Celi for years had taught him to take things in stride. The boy looked at him with uncertainty in his eyes, but not very much. Mazoku were certainly powerful enough to trick him unless he was firm in his belief.

Jaurah got tired of being leerily stared at by a tremulous human and addressed himself to Wolfram. "How do you like your gift, My Lord?"

"It's beautiful." Wolfram blushed a bit. He had recognized the workmanship. Almost all of his mother's jewelry came form Jaurah Augustine's shop, as did that of all the most elegant ladies of Shin Makoku. He knew Yuuri had had help, but the effort was still appreciated.

"It suits you. I merely supply the materials. The artist chooses his subject well." Smarmy, even for him, but he really did think Wolfram wore the ring well. And Yuuri had chosen superbly. The maou had a good eye.

Yuuri nodded politely, realizing, sort of, that he'd been complimented. He said a polite goodbye and let the jeweler get on with his life, and noticed as he turned back to his retinue that the boy was staring at him with his mouth open a little, as if he'd forgotten to close it.

More than cuteness, nobility, or beauty, he'd been struck by the sheer _normality_ of the interaction. They really could have been any humans he'd ever known chatting as friends. Or vassal to lord. But there seemed not to be much distinction made by the wicked and threateningly powerful Maou.

That was an upset of the natural order, though, wasn't it? Yes. No matter how important this man was—and there was no impression he was particularly important, what with walking through a market carrying his own packages—he was only a serf. Even evil kings were kings by right of blood, tradition, and some level of divinity. That just ought not be toyed with. And thus he managed to convince himself once again that what he was seeing was a perversion of all that was right and good.

He noticed Yuuri looking at him with a hopeful smile and jerked his head around, staring determinedly into space. Space occupied by a couple of kids playing with wooden swords, arguing over which of them had Morgiff. This was a sick society.

It had to be.

Yuuri was beginning to be discouraged. He apparently couldn't get through to this boy. How firmly could someone believe a lie in the face of the truth? They kept riding, the maou and his faithful retainers pointing out the occasional pleasant or uplifting sight. They got no response but baleful, accusatory stares. Being accusatory about a little girl walking a dog was something Yuuri just couldn't fathom. They left the city because they were riding in that direction anyway and Yuuri was out of ideas, pretty near giving up.

"These are the woods. I think they're pretty. You probably think they have giant, brain-sucking bats living behind the trees bent on eating human babies." Yuuri wasn't good at being flippant, but the situation called for it. "There's a lake over there. It's got lots of pretty fish. Evil Mazoku fish. There's some off the Flybone Tribe. I guess they _are_ a little spooky if you're not used to them." The boy was ignoring him strenuously.

"You stubborn wimp." Wolfram was getting bored and very tired. But he couldn't admit the latter. He was still trying to convince everyone he was fully healed. Concealing it made him cranky.

"That doesn't make sense…"

"You're being stubborn for wimpy reasons!"

Gwendal suddenly appeared between them, slapping a hand over Wolfram's mouth and jabbing the pommel of his sword into Yuuri's ribs, shutting them both up. "Shh!" His eyes narrowed and he looked over his shoulder to exchange a glance with Conrad. There was clearly more going on than irritation with the blooming lover's quarrel.

"Wolfram, guard the prisoner," Conrad said softly. A soft voice carried less than a whisper. The two accompanying soldiers drew their blades at a nod from Gwendal. Yuuri bit his lip, not wanting to ask what was going on. He'd distract them, and he trusted the brothers to defend him from any attack that came.

A woman holding a baby burst out of the bushes, breathing hard, eyes wide and wild like a hunted doe's. Yuuri thought he might have seen her before in one of the nearby human villages. Or just about… anywhere. She was a remarkably ordinary looking person. The child was a bit more striking, with blond curls and jewel-like blue eyes, but she was brown-haired and mousy.

Yuuri pulled Morgiff from his sheath to face four men on horses, an ill-assorted bunch of poorly outfitted bandits, by the maou's guess. They came tearing out of the forest seemingly out of nowhere, and were still intent on going after the woman.

Conrad and Gwendal put a stop to that, disarming all four between them and knocking them off their horses. They were bandits. No sword training that could begin to rival that of two of the greatest warriors in Shin Makoku.

"Your Majesty?" Conrad asked politely as the guards tied the bandits' hands behind their backs.

"Arrest them, of course. I can't have them out here attacking innocent people." Speaking of innocent people… Yuuri looked around. No sign of the woman and her baby. They must have kept running. "Where'd she go? She's safe now. We should escort her back home."

"Migel, go look for her." Conrad pointed one of his guards toward where she'd… probably run off. Not one in the party remembered seeing her go anywhere.

"If you can find her, take her wherever she's going safely." Yuuri considered. "If it's somewhere far or one of them is hurt, ask her to come to the castle. We can give her any supplies she needs."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The young man bowed smartly and headed off amid the trees.

"What a lot of consideration for some human girl," Wolfram said softly, not quite in his usual tones of randomly distributed jealousy.

Yuuri winced. "You know I've never seen her before, and if you'll remember—"

"But she seemed like such an reasonably attractive person. How could you not be redirecting your affections toward the nearest pretty face for no reason at all?"

"Alright, Wolfram, I said I'm—"

Before Yuuri could properly defend himself, the boy chimed in softly. "She… she was human…?"

"Well, she looked like it. I think I've seen her before." Yuuri looked over at Conrad, who shrugged noncommittally. She had a forgettable face.

"Why did you help her?" His hands were shaking a bit on the reigns.

"Because she needed help, of course." That should really be obvious. "We wouldn't just leave her."

And there was just no evil reason for that. The wicked maou and his barbaric, evil retainers had just risked serious injury (not _much_ risk, admittedly, but to those who didn't know Conrad's skill it would look like it) to defend a human girl and baby. It didn't work. He bit his lip, eyes low and angled away.

Yuuri saw the difference in his demeanor and flashed a smug grin at Wolfram that was grudgingly returned.

He said nothing all the way back to the castle, nothing as he was gently but firmly escorted by Gwendal back to his cell while Conrad recruited Josak to deal with the bandits. But as the door closed behind him, making Yuuri once again wonder if he'd done any good at all, he finally spoke.

"Candide."

"What?" Yuuri had been heading to the stairs, figuring he'd done some sort of day's work and now intent on figuring out how angry Wolfram still was. He turned, raising an eyebrow.

"My name. It's Candide."

"Oh." Yuuri brightened, smiling beatifically. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow, Candide." The boy winced a bit as the maou said his name, so casual and friendly. He was probably being lulled into a false sense of security.

But… Maybe not. It was a tiny "maybe," a granule of uncertainty that had worked its irritating way into Candide's young, trusting soul and begun the slow process of becoming a pearl. It kept him up all night, at least.

Wolfram's absence from his bed kept Yuuri up, too, but he had no life-changing epiphanies, just a headache in the morning.


	3. Family Matters Sort of

**Author's Note: **_Yeah. I know. Bad. I can't help it. School is making me insane. But here's a nice long chapter full of silliness and villains and cute animal companions. You'l like it. Josak has a new dress and there's a fork-stabbing. Anyway, Christmas is coming and with break comes free time, so there'll be chapters then._

Yuuri sipped his tea as Candide finished his breakfast. For the last three days, Yuuri had been taking his meals with his prisoner. He wasn't sure if it was doing any good. Candide was, at least, eating again. That was undoubtedly something. But he was reluctant to talk, and when he did, it was usually incoherent accusations. When he could think of nothing else he would repeatedly call Yuuri a liar and badmouth the Mazoku in general terms. Other times, he voiced elaborate conspiracy theories or demanded to be executed and have it over with (and he came up with some _very_ peculiar ways he might be murdered). Today he had become utterly convinced that Yuuri had arrested the girl and her baby once they were found, and that was why Candide hadn't been allowed to see them.

Conrad's man had been unable to find her, and inquiries in nearby towns had come up with nothing. Yuuri was quite worried about the poor thing and her child, and had said so with such profuse sentiment Candide had determined he was faking.

"You've got her in a dungeon somewhere!"

"This is the only dungeon, you know. There's another floor below us, but it's just storage." He was running out of reason. And tea. Both their lunches were nearly gone. Usually he stayed only as long as the food lasted. He couldn't take much more.

"Then you killed her and sent the half-breed brat somewhere to be raised as a Mazoku!"

"Hey!" Yuuri objected on Conrad and Josak's behalf to the term half-breed. "We wouldn't do that. And if her baby is half Mazoku—which it might or might not be—then it's her business. A lot of times people aren't very nice to people with mixed parentage, in Shin Makoku any more than in human nations."

"Oh, so human blood is plenty of reason to ostracize a poor, innocent infant?"

"But you just said…" Yuuri slapped his forehead into his palm and the smack echoed around the dungeon a bit. It wasn't fair to switch arguments in the middle like that. Logic wouldn't work if Candide would just change his opinions every time Yuuri made a point, just so he could keep hating the Mazoku.

Yuuri didn't even think that he might have been trained to do just that, to wriggle and vault around reason as long as it kept the Mazoku the utmost villains in his eyes. His tutors' skill in logical acrobatics had been pressed more and more as tales of Yuuri's philanthropy spread, and Candide had been taught by the best of the worst.

He piled his plates up and stuck his hand through the bars to get Candide's. One thing that suggested he might be making progress was that the boy sat essentially next to him, on the other side of the door.

Conrad had looked annoyed when Yuuri had started this practice, and continued to do so, but he was trying not to run the Maou's life for him. He needed to learn. He simply advised Yuuri to just give the boy his meals on a wooden dish that slid neatly into the cell. But Yuuri didn't want to feed him on bread and water. That was just mean, when the castle was full of delicious food. And today Lazana had made fish for lunch, delicate and tender enough to fall apart on the spork and best when piping hot. Making Candide eat that with his fingers would be nasty.

So Yuuri hadn't followed Conrad's advice, and when his hand went for Candide's dish, he had no right to be surprised at the fork suddenly embedded in his hand.

Of course, he still was. Quite shocked, and a bit dazed. It hurt more than reason suggested three little spikes would. For all his gentle and pacifistic principles, his temper's tendency not to flare in his own defense but only for others, and his deep sympathy for the warping and abuse that Candide's poor little mind had gone through to make him such a vessel of blind hate, Yuuri's immediate urge was to slug the little bastard for that. He tried to calm down, but Candide didn't make it any easier.

"There! Now I won't die in vain, if I managed to spill a drop of your blood!"

"There's a lot more than a drop. And I have the same blood as everyone else." He sounded almost whiny, cradling his hand. How very unpleasant. He'd need to spend half the day trying to defend Candide if he went and got this bandaged. Maybe Giesela could be persuaded to stay quiet. She was usually sympathetic. And he really didn't want to have to convince everyone that Candide was an innocent victim of circumstance. The evidence was piling up to the contrary.

Yuuri glared at him once more and slunk upstairs in search of Giesela and found her in her room, chatting with Arianwyn. She ditched him immediately on Yuuri's entrance, ducking around the boy so smoothly he seemed not to realize for a moment and kept babbling for a few seconds after she was gone.

"Your Majesty, how on earth did you get stabbed with a fork?"

Yuuri just blinked. _How_ did she know how to recognize a fork-related injury from several feet back? "I… Candide."

"Ah, I see. Father won't take this well. Neither will most of the castle." She waited patiently.

"Could you please not tell them?"

"Certainly, Your Majesty, but I leave it up to you to explain why your hand won't work well for a day or two." She smiled winningly and pulled out a roll of gauze.

"Wow, what a nasty little human." Arianwyn had been nearly murdered by humans, and was particularly ill-disposed toward the one who had done such damage to beautiful Wolfram. And he liked Yuuri just fine, in all capacities but Wolfram's fiancé. "Hmm, I bet there's a way to execute someone with a fork. Turn it back on him. Forking to death. Ooh… That'd be too good for him…"

Yuuri had stopped listening to them. "I could say I got in a fight with a bad omen bird…"

"They're not at all aggressive, Your Majesty."

"Morgif fell on me?"

"And bounced three times?"

"Wolfram got irritated and decided to poke me with a fork?"

"That's likely, but good luck getting him to play along."

"Giesela, is there any idea you can't kill?" He tried not to sulk, but sulking was getting easier as the healer's skill eased the sting.

"I merely try to contribute common sense."

Before Yuuri could answer that, he heard a lot of jumbled commotion from outside the window and ran over to look. He heard horses, trumpeted fanfare, and a lot of shouting back and forth as the gates creaked open. Giesela's room was on the fourth floor, so his view was a little fuzzy, but he definitely saw two tall, redheaded riders at the front of a rather large and gaudy procession of guards and the Bielefeld crest flying proudly. Yuuri cursed. Where was Wolfram? He forgot their quarrel and Arianwyn, despite having the prettily posed boy hanging out the window next to him, and ran down the stairs, wanting to meet them before Wolfram did.

He completely failed. Lady Celi at least was there before him, but she had only caught Maddox. Yuuri was surprised at the evasion, but he supposed the twins must have a lot of practice trying to escape her. One did _not_ mess with her beautiful Wolfram.

By the time Yuuri got there, Wolfram had been cornered by Mael. He really did look exactly like Maddox. There wasn't so much as a freckle's difference, not a scuff on their boots or a hair out of place that might differentiate. Had it not been for the pretty crest clasping his cloak, there would have been no telling which he faced.

Wolfram was trying not to cringe. Yuuri stopped behind an impassive Josak. He listened for a moment, wanting a measure of the situation. He couldn't afford to lose his temper with Wolfram's brothers however intolerable they were, so he had to be sneaky.

He sucked at sneaky.

"I keep expecting to find you've grown, Rammy." Mael's face was gentle and a bit teasing. He looked quite sweet. "I suppose you'll hit your height sometime. You're still young. But how've you been? I heard about your trouble with that little human…"

Wolfram's eye twitched a bit, but he held his ground. "Well, fortunately my fiancé's been looking after me very well."

"I'd been meaning to ask you about that. The rumors I heard were a little confused. The way I heard it, it seemed like he didn't even know what he was doing when he proposed? I'd do something about the story if I were you. You wouldn't want it to seem like the only way you could earn yourself a fiancé is dumb luck and trickery."

"Rumors don't do any harm… when…" He didn't have an answer and was reaching. There was an angry flush growing in his cheeks. Yuuri opted to step in, stepping around the redhead and trying to look regal.

"Wolfram, are you going to introduce me to your brother?" Mael was the one he hadn't met before. He was pretty sure. Wolfram had said something about switching the crest back and forth… Yuuri resolutely put an arm around Wolfram's shoulders and squeezed a little. He felt Wolfram relax. A bit.

"Oh, yes." Wolfram managed a slight smile. "Mael, this is Shibuya Yuuri, Twenty-Seventh Maou of Shin Makoku."

"Delighted to meet you." He bowed deeply, hair sliding forward over his shoulders and cloak catching the breeze as he bent. Yuuri decided that Mael reminded him of Arianwyn. He was always posed and flawless. But it seemed a lot more… _stilted_ with him. Airhead was just poised. Mael Von Bielefeld was actively elegant.

"Yes, well, the feeling is mutual. Any brother of my fiancé is a welcome guest of mine." Yuuri smiled for a moment. Just to be able to say he had. It was more grimace than smile. "Um, how long are you going to stay?"

"Oh, however long father sees fit." Mael waved his hand dismissively.

"Father's here?" Wolfram made a face like he'd bitten into a lime when expecting an apple.

"Oh, of course not. You'd be meeting with him first." Mael tried to exchange fondly tolerant, condescending glances with Yuuri. Grimace. "He'll be arriving later today, with full retinue and formal announcement. We had a bit of trouble on the road, and Maddie and I decided to ride ahead and see how our dear baby brother was doing."

"I'm fine." Wolfram was looking at the ground now.

"Oh, well, that's nice." Yuuri smiled some more, and seeing Doria pass, called her over.

"Your Majesty, do you have a stomach ache?" She'd missed that he was supposed to be smiling. "I can make you some tea."

"Um, I'm fine. Could you arrange for a room for the Bielefeld twins?" Preferably one in the bear bees' house. Certain people would benefit from falling through rotting floors.

"Um, it's short notice, but I can arrange something." She looked dubious. Yuuri liked that.

"And if you've got the time, could you manage something for their father?"

"Maybe. I might have to double someone up, though."

Ha. Let them deal with each other. Yuuri nodded regally. Sort of regally. Regal like a disheveled flamingo. "As long as they're somewhere. And I guess we'll take that tea when Lord Bielefeld gets here." He smiled as she walked off, muttering. He'd have to do something nice to make up for giving her the extra work.

"Yuuri, what happened to your hand?" It was only a matter of time before Wolfram noticed. If he hadn't been so flustered, it would have been sooner.

"I fell on a spork." He managed to say it with a straight face as convincing as his cordial smile had been. "Well, Mael and Maddox, you should probably wait in a parlor or something until rooms are ready."

"I'm sure Wolfram can show us the way. Lead on." Mael smiled and beckoned Maddox, who looked a little frazzled and ready to get away. Lady Celi followed, and there was a certain trepidation in his face.

"Oh, but we're still travel stained." Mael pulled off his cloak, which Yuuri couldn't see was the least bit dusty. He carefully reaffixed the crest to his shirt and tossed his satiny mass of cloath at Josak, who caught it but looked as confused as Yuuri was by the gesture. Mael ignored or maybe didn't see the odd looks he got from everyone. "Oh, take that to the laundry, will you? Make sure it's washed properly."

"Um, why?" Josak wasn't all that impressed by the nobility, and as he could tell Yuuri was equally uninterested in their status, he didn't try to hide it.

"Do you always keep such insubordinate servants at Covenant Castle? I'd heard you were an unusual ruler, Your Majesty, but—"

Yuuri didn't let him continue. "Josak's not a servant! You're talking to one of the heroes of Rütenberg. He's commander of the castle guard, a trusted advisor, and a very good friend."

"Oh. My mistake." He sent Josak a simpering smile. "It's just that you look part human. But I shouldn't insult you or the Maou."

There was a pause. A pause a moment too long. Josak's eye flashed dangerously and for a moment Yuuri was afraid Mael might find himself in multiple pieces on the grounds. Then he just turned and walked away.

"I have a policy of judging people by worth, not birth," Yuuri said quietly. He was able to take this sort of nonsense most of the time. People had stupid ideas. Prejudices abounded in Mazoku and human circles, and people knew what they were taught. Candide was a prime example, as Wolfram had once been. But even when people said absolutely vile things, he'd never seen such a comment so precisely, poisonously intended to hurt.

"How very singular. But you're a liberal soul indeed, Your Majesty, if you're looking for worth in mongrels."

"I thought I heard Mael," said Conrad's voice, behind Yuuri. His tone was completely measured, quiet, polite… He was furious. Yuuri was a bit surprised. He'd thought Conrad just let things like that roll off like water on a duck's back. "Should I send someone for a whore and a few fifths of vodka to be sent up to your room?"

"How polite of you, Lord Weller. As long as you're careful not to hire a half breed." Mael smiled. Conrad smiled. Yuuri was once against sure there was about to be blood spilt. The moment passed, but not cleanly. There was still tension in the air as Conrad walked on to whatever he'd been doing.

"Well, congratulations, Mael, you've managed to turn half the castle against us already. Even for you, that was fast." Maddox rolled his eyes. The words were whispered, but not that inconspicuously. Yuuri was struck suddenly by how tolerable Maddox seemed in comparison.

"Somewhere to rest, Wolfram?" Mael gave no sign that he'd heard, noticed, or cared what a mess he'd just made. Yuuri wondered how he hoped to ingratiate himself with the monarchy. Maybe he'd make his father look like a nice guy? Yuuri stepped in.

"I'll take you. Wolfram should go and rest."

"I'm fine. You're the one who's hurt your hand, and—"

"You're the one who jumped three stories."

Wolfram was about to protest, as perhaps was Mael, when Arianwyn appeared. He'd previously been watching from a distance, but he took his chances when he saw them. "I'll escort you upstairs if you like."

"Go away." Wolfram barely seemed to notice him, too busy scolding Yuuri. Whatever the reason, Yuuri was glad for it. "You may be cute, Yuuri, but we've been over what that does and does not entitle you to. It just so happens that I'm completely _fine_. You shouldn't try to push your fiancé around."

"I can order you as a subject."

Wolfram paused, looked at the ground a moment, and spun on his heel, leaving in a huff. Yuuri was afraid he'd just gotten himself in trouble again, but as Wolfram turned, he flashed Yuuri a very small smile. He was thankful for the escape. He just couldn't admit it. Good.

"Whoever's going to show us, I've been sitting on a horse all day and I could use something a little more forgiving." Yuuri didn't see who'd spoken, but he guessed Maddox. It seemed a little crass for the world's most polite bastard.

"Maddie, really, you're almost as uncouth as little Wolfram." Yep. Maddox. "And you don't have the excuse of rather ill-breeding."

Yuuri hummed to himself to drown them out the rest of the way to the first sitting room he could find in the castle. He couldn't take anymore nastiness. He ran off to find Wolfram as soon as he left the twins and found him sitting in the Maou's office, now (as usual) occupied by Gwendal. They weren't saying anything or even sitting together, but Yuuri got the impression being with his preferred big brother was comforting.

"Sorry I was so abrupt."

"It's alright. I recognized your altruistic intentions." Wolfram smiled and Yuuri smiled and there wasn't the least chance of bloodshed. Though there would have been a high chance of kissing if Gwendal hadn't been sitting there ignoring them.

Yuuri spent two pleasant hours. He left Wolfram with Gwendal and played baseball with Greta. He looked for Conrad but didn't see him, so the game was a little dull until Anissina also happened by. Gunter eventually caught him having fun and dragged Yuuri inside to go over documents, but they weren't bad. And, like walking over salted glass shards, talking to Mael Von Bielefeld made a lot of things seem like fun.

Halfway through an authorization to form a committee to discuss the election of a board of directors who could report back on the advisability of sending a delegation to investigate the governance of a border town (Yuuri despaired of ever having the Maou thing down to a science), Gunter's explanation was interrupted by trumpets, and Dorcas let himself in a moment later.

"Announcing the arrival of Lord Evert Von Bielefeld." He sounded about as enthusiastic as Yuuri felt. He got up and was halfway down the stairs when he heard trumpets again. That was… odd. He couldn't remember anyone else getting two fanfares. Did they have another guest? He didn't need another guest.

Since Dorcas was already upstairs, Sangria had to come up to do the announcing. She wasn't as used to it, though. She rocked back and forth on her heels a bit. "Um, Your Majesty? Announcing the arrival of Lord Stoffel Von Spitzberg."

"What? Oh, no." Yuuri covered his face in his hands. Oh no. No. He was going to run away and join the circus.

"This could turn very ugly very quickly," Gunter said with a sigh that almost matched Yuuri's.

Yuuri nodded miserably. "You can say that again."

"Well, Your Majesty…" He swallowed. "During the period before the war, when Lord Stoffel was serving as regent, the only nobleman in a reasonable position to contest him was Lord Von Bielefeld, as the maou's consort. The two of them often had heated discussions of contrasting ideas. I was not at court at the time, but the whole of Shin Makoku was aware of the opposing powers within the castle."

"So they hate each other?" Yuuri wondered if, maybe, he could just put them in a room and they'd kill each other.

"I wouldn't use such terms, Your Majesty, but there was never love lost between the two, and it was only after Lord Von Bielefeld left the court that Stoffel's plans really took effect. Which led to the war. His decisions were unwise and prejudiced, but at least they were less self-interested than those Evert Von Bielefeld pursued."

Yuuri tried not to snicker at Gunter's attempts to stay appropriately formal while describing what sounded like a schoolboy rivalry. This might be useful information. Or disastrous. If there was anything he needed less than the two most troublesome lords in his blasted kingdom, it was the two of them starting a war. Or even an argument. His nerves couldn't take an argument.

"Should I see them at different times?"

"Perhaps unwise, Your Majesty." Gunter frowned. "Whichever you chose to see first, the other will be offended."

"Darn." Yuuri trudged reluctantly down the stairs, dragging his feet as much as Gunter would let him. He bumped into Josak as he stepped into the hall, headed for his throne room.

"Afternoon, Your Majesty." He was back to his usual, smiley self.

"Hi. Um, I'm sorry about what happened."

"I'm used to it." He held up one hand dismissively. Perched on one finger was a large, sinuous rat with black and white fur, but only a stub for a tail. It was wearing a green collar and looked at Yuuri quizzically, as though requesting a proper introduction so they could get on with this acquaintance.

"Um, do you have a new friend, Josak?" Yuuri had never seen one too close. His mother always wanted one for a pet, but Shoma had convinced her not to, claiming Shori was allergic. Yuuri's father did not care for rodents. He claimed they made him feel sort of squirmy.

"This is Friend Rat. I find that rats make rather good messengers over short distances. Often faster than birds, and much less noticeable. So I'm socializing them."

"Oh." Yuuri blinked. Well, alright. It was a pretty cute rat. Little wiggly nose and everything. Gwendal would probably want to knit one. "Well, that sounds like a good idea. We've got visitors, so I have to go and be the royal maou."

"I'll come along. If we've got the guests I've heard about, this will be an amusing carriage wreck." He grinned beatifically. "Should I dress up? I just got this lovely blue satin gown. It's even got a crinoline petticoat and sets off my eyes wonderfully."

"Um, it's come as you are." Josak wore a skirt better than any man Yuuri knew, but that wasn't saying much. He smiled weakly and headed into the throne room. Lord Stoffel was standing in the corner opposite the door with Raven and four liveried soldiers. A taller, older version of the twins with green eyes the precise shade of Wolfram's stood as far from him as possible, right where Yuuri entered, with Maddox and Mael behind him alongside two guards. So he was outnumbered. Yuuri was shocked that under any circumstances he'd root for Stoffel.

Yuuri tried to ignore them. Conrad was already standing behind the throne, looking supportive. Yuuri knew he'd need it. Appreciatively, with Gunter and Josak behind him, he headed for the overblown chair that legitimized his authority over two older, wiser men.

Quite unexpectedly, there was a shrill scream. A terrified, harsh one, not a Lady Celi extended squeak or an Anissina squeal of triumph or even that screechy noise Gunter made when overly agitated. Yuuri whirled around, reaching for Morgiff (who he wasn't even wearing).

Mael Von Bielefeld was staring, white-faced and wide-eyed, even _whimpering_ a little, at the rat perched on Josak's shoulder, half toppled over against his brother. Maddox was smirking a bit with a hand sort of over his mouth.

"Josak, shame on you, didn't you remember Mael Von Bielefeld is mortally afraid of rodents?" Yuuri had never quite seen Conrad smile like that.

"Oh, curses. I guess I wasn't thinking. Your forgiveness for causing a scene, Your Majesty." Josak bowed so low his nose poked the floor.

"Oh, that's quite alright, Josak. Your training of your new messengers is of paramount importance to the kingdom." Yuuri could play along if need be. He nodded regally and sort of wriggled his hand, gesturing vaguely for Josak to stand back up.

"How merciful. But Friend Rat and I ought to get going." Josak smiled as he turned. "Wouldn't want to frighten our guest any more."

Yuuri glanced over at their guest, who was shuddering and muttering "Filthy, nasty, crawly little beast… sharp little needle teeth… ugly lizard tail…" Maddox was patting him on the shoulder.

He felt much better. Yuuri ascended to his throne. "Well, um, hello. Glad to see you both. How are things in Spitzberg, Lord Stoffel?"

"We're having an excellent year, Your Majesty. I'm sure the richness of our crops and the length of the growing season may be attributed directly to your gracious, wise rulership of—"

"That's nice. And pleased to make your acquaintance, Lord Evert."

"Your Majesty." He bowed. Not very much. "I am delighted to finally meet you. I was kept in the provinces by affairs along my borders for months and unable to make it to the capital."

"Borders?" Yuuri thought he should probably have heard about that.

"Merely some troublesome bandits, and some trouble among the elves."

Elves. Yes, Wolfram had told him there were elves. Yuuri pictured little green creatures in Santa hats and was quite confused. Did they need governing? "Oh. Well, I'm glad to finally meet you, since I'm engaged to your son and everything."

"Ah, yes…" He looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Your Majesty, I must inquire as to your planned punishment for your impudent liegeman following that vulgar display?"

"Huh?" Oh. Josak. Did they have to keep thinking he was a servant? "I don't see any reason to punish him. He's a very good spy, and he's just coming up with a new way to send messages, right? I don't think there's anything wrong with it. He can just try and remember not to send any messages to Mael with rats. Or maybe he could use a squirrel."

"You seem very loath to punish anyone, Your Majesty." Mael had regained his composure, and was actually flattening his hair as he spoke. Apparently moving unexpectedly threw it all out of whack. "If rumors are to be believed you're sheltering some human who attacked your fiancé right in front of you."

"He's been brainwashed. He's really a sweet person. I'm getting him to come around." Yuuri awkwardly slid his bandaged hand back in an unfortunately conspicuous fashion. "Even Wolfram agrees that it's worthwhile to try and teach him the Mazoku aren't all evil."

"It still shows weakness. There is a point where mercy isn't—"

Just as it happened, Stoffel was very fond of the maou's merciful streak, and had even gotten fond of him, in a sort of awkward way. "Is it your place to question the maou's decisions?"

Evert coughed regally. "A wise monarch listens to all his ranking advisors."

"I listen. I just don't…" Yuuri realized they weren't paying him any attention. Uh-oh.

"Listening to you would drive the country to ruin!" Raven was subtly holding him back by standing on the hem of his cloak.

"Oh, what an advantage over driving Shin Makoku to war!" He was a bit more agitated, but Evert seemed to be still almost as poised as his oldest.

"Making a mistake in the pursuit of honor is hardly comparable to looting the treasury to finance personal excesses!"

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions!"

"And bricks of gold!"

Yuuri groaned and hid his face in his hands. "Conrad, can I have them all arrested."

"Well, you could…" He looked like he was seriously considering it. Meanwhile, Evert whipped a dagger from his belt and tossed it at the floor by Stoffel's feet. It was immediately snapped up when Raven wasn't quite quick enough to restrain his master.

"I think maybe I should have myself arrested. Then I could hang out in the dungeon and just have to talk with the raving, fork-wielding lunatic. He's easier."

Yuuri went to hide until the duel was supposed to be held. He couldn't avoid it. The stupid, stubborn, arrogant blowhards. He let Conrad schedule them and ran away.

"Wolfram, do you want to come?" He was staring out the window come five of clock, watching a crowd of gawkers assemble.

"As much as I'd like to watch my father be sliced into quarters, I doubt it'll happen. He's in better shape than Stoffel." Wolfram was lying on the bed, staring intently up at the ceiling. "This is a disaster, you wimp. Whichever of them wins, the other side will throw a fit. We could end up in a civil war."

"I know." Well, sort of. He'd known it was bad, but Wolfram had just elucidated how bad. "But how do I stop them? They obviously hate each other. The duel was declared and accepted within the bounds of all that etiquette." He'd checked carefully with Gunter while he was hiding.

Wolfram got up and hugged Yuuri, standing by the window next to him. "I love you."

"Thanks. That's good to hear right now."

"You're still an incompetent wimp."

"I know." He hugged back for a moment and then walked outside. He dragged his feet a bit and considered briefly going to hide in the dungeon with Candide. Getting raved at would be preferable to watching two of the most horribly self-important and potentially violent lords in the kingdom take cheap shots at each other.

The two combatants were preparing with ridiculous regality. Stoffel was having his sword shined. Evert was yelling at Dorcas, who seemed to have been conscripted to brush his horse. Because everyone knew a scruffy horse could never win a duel. Since where did horses have duels? Yuuri liked to think of them as reasonable peaceful, perhaps resolving their differences with a grass-eating contest of some sort.

"Is there anything we can do to stop this?" he asked the general crowd as he came up behind Conrad and Josak.

"I keep releasing Friend rat to go and nibble on Mael's boots, but so far it's done nothing but keep me entertained." So maybe Josak was a little more bitter than he'd let on.

He briefly considered appealing to either man's better feelings, sense of honor, or political conscience, but frankly, he knew better, however naïve he was.

"So which of you am I rooting for?" came a wavery, purred whisper from the stairs behind Yuuri. He turned to see Lady Celi looking her most stunning. Not the Yuuri was good at judging, but she seemed to have re-stolen the jewel from the demon king's crown for an elaborate necklace and indeed to have removed Morgiff's stone for an earring. He made a note to talk to her about that later. Conducting raids on the treasury, even in the short term, was to be discouraged.

"Sister, I'm sure you recognize your loyalty to family above your proven false and selfish one-time consort."

"Hello, Lady Celi." Raven waved, looking just a little more put-upon than usual.

Evert bowed with a smarmy smile. "Celi, there's never been any bad blood."

Yuuri wondered why they were so interested in Celi's immediate presence. Surely they were both used to her being around. Then he caught a whiff of her special orchid perfume. What was she up to?

"I hope you two favorites of mine aren't going to grievously injure yourselves." She smiled at both of them without looking at either. Somehow.

"I'll be happy to accept an _honorable_ surrender." Evert leered at Stoffel.

"I suppose I'll have to be happy with a sniveling one," Stoffel countered lamely. Celi burst out in bell-like laughter.

"Boys, boys. Do behave yourselves." Celi smiled winningly. "You'll find yourselves losing your tempers soon."

Lost tempers? Yuuri snorted. He noticed Gwendal walking across the field rather purposefully, and Anissina coming from the opposite direction. Curiouser and curiouser.

"That'd lead to high blood pressure and fatigue. Why, you could drive yourselves right into a faint." And she nodded. And Gwendal and Anissina (the former glowering and the latter snickering) tapped each of them in the back of the head with something small and black. Both men crumpled.

"That's one way." That was the sort of thing Yuuri wished he had the guts to do.

"Your Majesty! Impressed with Mr. Go to Sleep Right Away?" Anissina smiled brightly at him. Gwendal was fleeing the indignity, and Dorcas had opted to haul the unconscious lords off the field.

"Isn't that just a sap?" Josak asked politely.

"It is a technologically advanced and highly magical and otherwise amazing sap. … I filled it with ball bearings."

"Ouch."

"It's only a temporary fix, but it's a good one. My compliments, Mother." Conrad smiled at her, though he looked a little uncomfortable. Even for Lady Celi, that had been outrageous.

"They'll be back at it as soon as they wake up." Yuuri sighed, but he managed a small smile. "But it's some time to breathe."

And then there was a scream. Friend Rat had gone exploring.


	4. On the subject of dastardly

**Obligatory Author's note:**_ Seems like I drop you guys a line with every chapter lately. Oh, well. No harm in that. So, this is kind of a long one. Meanders a little. But it's got fluff and excitement and danger. And the best part-it's following the last in a reasonable amount of time! I should really be studying, but that's… that's another consideration entirely, no, isn't it? Enjoy._

It was a nasty day. It couldn't decide if it was properly rainy or not and the whole world seemed slightly damp. It didn't feel that cold, but what cold there was somehow got into your bones and led to shivering. It was too slippery for doing anything much outside, baseball or fencing or even just walking. So Yuuri was having tea and some cookies with Conrad, Wolfram, and Arianwyn, who had invited himself. They were trying to teach the maou an old Shin Makoku card game.

He couldn't even get his head around the cards. "The tall girl holding the spear—"

"That's a halberd, Yuuri," Conrad said gently.

"That thing. She's what I want to have?"

Arianwyn leaned over his shoulder, tapping the little curlicue thing drawn in the four corners of the card. "That's an okay one. But unless you have the rest of her suite, she doesn't do you a lot of good. That's a leading card."

"And that means?"

Wolfram rolled his eyes. "We'll try this again later. You should go up and see if Stoffel and Father are feeling at all mollified."

"I checked before lunch. They're both still sulking." Yuuri dropped his cards and they fluttered onto the table. "I don't know what to do about it. They're supposed to be two of the most powerful nobles in the land, and they're taunting each other like a couple of middle school girls."

"You're the maou." Arianwyn smiled. "They might be lords, but you still outrank them. Just order them to kiss and make up."

Yuuri was about to make a disdainful answer when Wolfram shocked him by laughing so hard he ended up tipping forward onto the table and almost falling out of his chair. Even Conrad stared at him. He took over a minute to recover himself.

"I… I apologize. I just couldn't help picturing…" He dissolved once more into giggles. Yuuri ended up snickering next, and Arianwyn joined them with a charming, bell-like laugh Yuuri didn't have the attention to hate at the moment. Even Conrad couldn't help laughing a bit. Wolfram finally sat up, actually wiping his eyes. "Yuuri, if you order my uncle and my father to kiss and make up, I… promise not to call you a wimp for at least three days."

"Hmm." Intriguing prospect. And why not? He did outrank them. No one even seemed to question that anymore, which was nice. Yuuri generally held that a soft hand and courtesy were his best weapons in getting people to get along and behave, but in the case of the two stubborn combatants currently locked in their rooms with bad headaches… "Fine. I'll do it."

"Oh." Wolfram looked a bit horrified. "I didn't mean for you to…"

"Nope. I'm going to do it. And maybe I'll have a whole crowd assemble and… It's a stupid idea, isn't it?" He looked sheepish and Wolfram bopped him with a spoon.

"Hey. All my ideas are good ones." Arianwyn stuck out his tongue at them all. "I still think you can just tell them to get over themselves. They may not like it, but they do have to listen."

"I don't want to be a tyrant. I want…"

Conrad smiled gently. "You want peace for the world and goodwill toward all. It's admirable, but even you'll admit it doesn't always work."

"Says you. I'm not admitting everything. Candide's almost been civil since he stabbed me with that fork, and—"

Wolfram jumped to his feet. "He did _what_?"

Oh. Oh, right, he'd never gotten around to explaining that. Yuuri inched back a bit. "Well, under the circumstances… I mean, he'd still half convinced we're going to eat him…"

"I am going to lop that little vermin's head off an inch at a time!" Wolfram was seething. Literally. His whole body was moving with the deep, furious breaths he took. Yuuri was a bit worried for his health as well as the integrity of Candide's appendages. Wolfram was still under Giesela's edict to avoid strenuous activity, technically speaking.

"Wolfram!" Yuuri stood to shove him back into his seat. Unfortunately, a still slightly ill and underweight Wolfram was still rather stronger than he was. Didn't work. "The whole point of what I'm trying to do with him _and_ with Stoffel and Evert is to make them _not_ resort to violence! You're setting a terrible example."

"Oh, I'll show you violence. I'll show you little pieces of scrawny human bits piled up… in a bucket. And then I'll dump that bucket in a shallow grave in acidic soil, and bury the bucket in refuse with a sign that says 'Here lies exactly what happens to anyone who dares lay a hand on my fiancé!'"

"Wolfram!" Among other things, Yuuri felt rather inadequate. The kid had almost killed his fiancé. Wolfram was getting far more worked up over… a fork attack. "Please try and calm down. It's nothing. Giesela fixed it so it doesn't even hurt anymore. He's scared and alone and he's been told his whole life we're evil and vicious. Remember how long it took you to come around about humans?"

"He can be as stupid as he wants. That doesn't mean he's allowed to hurt _you._"

"It's a couple of little cuts. You've done worse in a throttling mood." Yuuri sighed. "Please, Wolfram, let me keep trying?"

Reluctantly, Wolfram sank back into his seat, glowering. "Couldn't I just cut off his ear or something?"

"No." Yuuri smiled a little, hoping for a return, even in a grimace. Wolfram just kept scowling. Yuuri was distracted by a squeak and a tug at his pant leg. He looked down to see a small, brown rat with a collar around her neck. So apparently there was a fleet of them. He bent down and the rat dropped a rolled up piece of paper in his hand.

Josak's handwriting was a bit tricky to get sometimes. Yuuri read carefully. _To the Honorable 27__th__ Maou, etc, blah blah blah. Just testing them out on a small scale. If Petunia delivered this message promptly after 4 o'clock, please reply on the back. And if you have something, give her a treat for being a good rat. Oh, and listen for a girlish scream about now._

Yuuri was getting used to Mael's reaction to rodents, but it was still worth a chuckle. The screech came right on time. He flipped the paper over and wrote; _She's a very good messenger. I've given her a cookie._ He held out the message and a ginger snap for the rat and she ran off with both in her mouth.

"Only Josak would think of that." Wolfram rolled his eyes. "They're cute little things, though."

"And it's interesting to keep Mael on his toes." Conrad had that slightly savage smile on again. Yuuri could only imagine he was taking particular offense to Mael's (admittedly _particularly offensive_) stance against half-humans.

"Your Majesty!" Dorcas was at the door, looking frazzled. "There have been attacks reported in the city!"

Yuuri abandoned the conversation immediately. "Was anyone hurt?"

"There are no really serious injuries reported, but a healer is requested. No one seems to have seen their assailant or assailants, and…" He stopped to consider. "That's all the information we have so far."

Yuuri cursed. "Conrad, can you and Josak organize some extra guards to go on patrol? And people should be advised to stay at home until we've fully investigated what's going on." There were a few things he understood at least the basics of responding to. It was enough to make Gunter and Conrad rather proud, if leaving more sensible souls unimpressed. "And once we have a guard detail organized we can go out and question everyone who's been attacked."

In other ways, Yuuri really never would learn.

"You know perfectly well that's not wise and you should stay here where it's safe and we can keep an eye on you." Conrad wasn't even trying to persuade him. He got up and headed for the door. Yuuri followed him with a smile, and in turn didn't bother trying to dissuade Wolfram. He figured his fiancé would be safe with Conrad to watch over him.

But nothing turned up. Once they'd left the castle, the guards saw neither hide nor hair nor rapidly disappearing hem of cloack of their quarry. Yuuri personally interviewed everyone who'd been hit, a list that included Jaurah Augustine and his wife, Riya. Oddly, though they had been next to their unlocked store full of wondrously beautiful, precious jewelry, their attacker hadn't so much as touched the unlocked door. Riya's purse had been stolen, but that contained only a few coins.

It was well after dark when Yuuri consented to giving up for the day. He came into the castle to find dinner kept warm for him by Lazana and Greta waiting for him. She looked a bit nervous, and had Friend Rat on her lap. He was a large rat and she was a small girl, so he appeared about the size of a cat. Cute, but disconcerting.

"Hi, Greta." Yuuri smiled tiredly at her. "Sorry we were gone so long."

"It's okay." She smiled. Still looked a little off kilter, though. Yuuri was immediately worried. "Um… I was just a little scared. Everyone was talking about people being hurt and stuff." One hand was playing restlessly in her hair, twirling a curl around her fingertip.

"Oh. Well, don't be. There're plenty of people to keep us safe. And it seems like they've stopped. After I put the guards out in the city, no one else was attacked." He ruffled her hair. "Are you and Friend Rat getting along?"

"Uh-huh. I asked Josak if I could have him with me when he's not supposed to be delivering a message. He's really soft and nice to pet." She scratched the rat's ears and it squeaked softly. It occurred to Yuuri that Greta could probably use a pet of her own. He'd look into it. "And I asked and Josak said that he lost his tail in a fight with a giant spider when he was protecting a little boy that Josak knows. So he's a very brave rat."

"Apparently." Yuuri nodded, impressed by both the epic of heroism and the fact that there were apparently spiders big enough to lop off a rat's tail. Though that might be described better as horrified than impressed.

"I hope he's not sleeping in the bed with us." Wolfram thought they were cute, but he'd noticed they tended to crawl on people the same way they did furniture. It tickled.

"I think I'll make him a little bed out of a handkerchief and a basket, so he can sleep by himself and not have you roll over on him." Wolfram usually rolled over on _someone_, though Greta had noticed it tended to be Yuuri.

"That sounds nice." There was a loud crash from the courtyard outside. Yuuri ran for the window, pushing Wolfram back into his chair as he hurried by. He'd been keeping up with the day's rushing around and needed a break.

One of the twins—Yuuri couldn't see which—had his sword out and was being set upon by two figures in black, graceful, precise fighters swathed entirely in the dark cloth that rendered them barely perceptible shadows in the night, even with the help of the lanterns in the courtyard. Whichever twin it was was pretty good, but he was outnumbered and his opponents were skilled.

Yuuri pushed open the window and hopped through, reaching for Morgiff. Not that he figured he'd be any great use, but he might be a distraction. Before he could even shout for their attention, the hapless man faltered just for a moment and got a sword in his side for his trouble. Bielefelds seemed to have awful luck with getting stabbed in that courtyard.

Yuuri shouted anyway, and got Conrad's attention as he left the stable, as well as the handful of guards left patrolling castle grounds. The two attackers fled as a half dozen warriors appeared, but as they left, Yuuri noted they were wearing exactly the uniforms he remembered of Stoffel's hired goons. Damn, he'd stooped low. And attacking innocent people in the streets? Yuuri had let himself believe Stoffel had learned a bit of a lesson.

"Should I get Giesela?"

"Yes." Conrad knelt next to the fallen twin. He wasn't wearing the crest, so unless it had been dropped, that was Maddox. Yuuri used the door this time, as hopping through the window was pretty uncomfortable.

"What happened?" Wolfram had been miffed about being pushed down, of course, but Greta had kept him from interfering by climbing into his lap, scared by the sound of crashing swords. More scared than usual. She ought to have been used to that sort of thing.

"Um, there were… looked an awful lot like Stoffel's ninja goons." He couldn't stop thinking of them as ninja, albeit inefficient, not very stealthy ones. (Seemed, though, they'd gotten better at that if they'd been getting clean away from their victims and straight into the middle of the castle.) "And, um, one of your brothers got stabbed."

Yuuri was surprised and rather touched at how concerned Wolfram was. Considering how nasty they both were to him, he had no obligation or natural inclination to care at all. But he stood and ran outside, looking pale. The maou took just a second to smile fondly on his fiancé's usually concealed filial piety and ran for Giesela. He found her with a rat on her shoulder, reading _One Thousand and One Cavalcadian Nights_.

"Giesela, there's been an attack inside the castle."

"Oh." She still surprised him with her innate efficiency, even after all this time. One moment her feet were up on the sofa and her hand languidly coiled around a steaming cup of tea while she enjoyed fairy tales. The next she was dashing past the king with her tidy black bag, demanding detailed descriptions. She had long legs, and Yuuri was hard pressed to keep up and tell her what had happened at the same time.

Had it not been for Conrad's field expertise, Maddox might have bled out, but with his attentions, the bleeding had slowed to a trickle by the time Giesela arrived. She knelt beside Wolfram, who was putting pressure on the wound as per Conrad's instructions and wrist deep in blood as a result. That surprised Yuuri even more than his concern. Letting himself get dirty just for his nasty, unlikable brother. Sweet.

Yuuri offered to help, but Giesela whispered to him to get Wolfram clear. He could see why that would be a more appropriate use of his talents.

"Wolfram, come on, Giesela will get him stabilized. He'll be fine." He didn't think Wolfram ought to be stressing himself out so much.

"I can help."

"Yeah, I'm sure you can, but why don't we let your father or someone know that Maddox has been hurt." He firmly steered Wolfram away a bit. To distract him a bit more, Yuuri wrapped his arm around Wolfram's waist and gave him a tight hug. "Don't worry. He'll be okay."

Wolfram seemed to forget about being subtle around an audience. He nuzzled Yuuri's shoulder, and the maou could feel him shaking a little. Yuuri wondered why Wolfram worked so hard to be such a brat when he was a real sweetheart at his core.

"Wolfram, he _will_ be fine." Giesela sounded a little tired, but she smiled helpfully. "There was no permanent damage done. Why don't you go and let your father know?"

"I'm going. Honestly, you'd think I was still on constant, mandated bed rest." Wolfram sniffed and immediately strutted toward the house. Yuuri had felt him relax considerably when Giesela declared Maddox out of danger, though, and he doubted the act fooled anyone else.

Yuuri looked over his shoulder. "Do you need me, or…?"

"Go along with him." Conrad smiled and waved him on. Yuuri hurried to catch up with Wolfram. So apparently that secret was out. He caught Wolfram's hand and squeezed. He got an appreciative nod in return, and in silence they walked up to the room where Evert was under polite arrest.

It'd have to be considered how Stoffel might have gotten his goons dispatched despite being confined to his own room. Yuuri had agreed to let Raven come and go (only fair, as Evert's sons had free access to the castle). So not much of a mystery. But Raven generally struck him as sincere and had sworn to serve only as a manservant. Yuuri once again thought he might have to reassess his policy of trusting everyone.

There was only one guard at the door. Yuuri was trying to be delicate about keeping two of the Ten Aristocrats locked in a state bedroom. He knocked.

"Enter." Evert was being just as stately about being _under_ arrest, to give him credit.

"Um, hello." Yuuri opened the door slowly. Wolfram seemed suddenly very interested in the wall, and then took some time to tie his shoe. He was wearing slip-on boots. Deducing he'd rather not actually take part, the maou stepped into the room. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but there have been a lot of attacks by… someone mysterious." He didn't want to say Stoffel without proof, even if it was pretty darn obvious. That'd cause more trouble.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Your Highness." Evert bowed slightly. Mael was sitting in an armchair, scribbling in some book. "Would you like to use some of my troops to deal with the situation?"

"Oh, no, the castle guards are perfectly capable…" Yuuri realized belatedly Evert was purposefully suggesting otherwise. Like father, like son. Fortunately that wasn't always true. "Actually, I came to tell you Maddox was injured." He'd meant to soften the blow, but they were such a pair of bastards.

"What?" Evert leapt up, looking furious. "Have you caught the culprit?"

"Um, I'm afraid not." Of course that'd be the first thing he thought of. "Oh, he's going to be okay. Just so you know."

"Yes, yes. I wouldn't expect Maddox to be mortally wounded by some marauding scum. I simply expect prompt action and appropriate punishment."

"Don't push His Majesty, father. He's certainly under a great deal of stress." Mael didn't look up from whatever he was writing.

"Yes, well, we'll get right on investigating. I'm not sure why Maddox was wandering round alone when everyone's been talking all day about the attacks." Yuuri knew that wasn't fair. Who would have expected them to get inside the castle? Not that it hadn't happened before, but Maddox didn't know that.

"I think he was meeting someone," Mael said with a shrug. "Has he been moved to an infirmary, or is he well enough to just rejoin the family?"

"I don't know. I'll ask Giesela." He'd been about to release Evert for a while to see his son, but he hardly seemed to deserve it. Yuuri left the room, slamming the door. Wolfram sighed, leaning against the wall outside.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm just worried, Yuuri." Wolfram smiled sadly at him, reaching for his hand. Yuuri gave him a hug instead. "If it was Stoffel… He's sunk lower than ever before, and the implications for the kingdom are pretty dire."

"Yeah." Yuuri sighed. "I know. And… it definitely seems like it was. I mean, having been personally captured by his ninja pets before… They at least looked the part."

"We might have a war on our hands." Wolfram's hand tightened on Yuuri's shoulder. He'd made an effort to understand Yuuri's compassion, especially in the months when he'd believed Yuuri was lost to him forever. He could imagine the results of an ugly civil war much more vividly, without letting quite so many personal grudges get in the way. Besides… it was still his father. He had washed his hands of Stoffel and Evert, and for years he'd really believed himself done with them, but with both of them around, Wolfram was horrified to find part of himself was still a little boy who wanted his daddy's approval.

"Oh, Wolfram…" Yuuri kissed him. The whole castle knew. Whatever. He needed to make Wolfram smile. They might be in trouble, but there was no reason for so much moping. Not when he could be cheered up.

"Ahem." Mael had left the bedroom and was standing behind Yuuri. "Evening, Wolfram."

"Oh… are you going to see Maddox?" Wolfram was blushing to roughly the shade of a ripe pomegranate.

"Yes, I thought I would." He smirked. "You're welcome if you aren't too busy."

"I, um, of course not." He squeezed Yuuri's hand, apologizing for leaving. Yuuri wasn't offended. The whole point of the kiss had been to cheer him up. Maybe visiting Maddox would also serve, even if he had to put up with Mael the whole time. The brothers walked off together and Yuuri smiled. At least he couldn't really tease Wolfram about the engagement anymore. If that wasn't proof it was serious…

Well, he'd see Wolfram later. Hopefully in a better mood. For now, he had better do some kingly things as well as serve as a good fiancé. It occurred to him he should probably talk to Conrad. There should be security precautions taken. He had no idea what all of them were, of course. That was what Conrad was good for.

As he headed down, he realized he was behind Wolfram and Mael. He was about to catch up when their conversation reached him.

"Well, at least you've found a use for yourself."

"Hmm?" Wolfram sounded quite confused.

"Suits you well enough, since you did manage to come off with your mother's looks. Saves the maou keeping a concubine around."

"What? Yuuri wouldn't…" Wolfram sounded as angry as Yuuri had ever heard him.

"Is he still in the market for a proper queen, by the way? I talked to Elizabeth's father the other week and that didn't go well, I heard, but it's clear the market is open."

"That whole thing was just Stoffel's… _stupid_ plan. Yuuri fought for me."

"The same way he proposed to you, the way I heard it. Through ignorance of etiquette." There was a pause during which Yuuri tried to get his head around just what nastiness Mael was causing this time. "Oh, Rammy. You're my baby brother and I worry. I just don't want you getting your hopes up."

"I don't need to get my hopes up. He told me he loves me. Yuuri doesn't lie!" And Yuuri wanted to rush to him. He began to hurry. Forget gathering intelligence on his adversary. He was _trying_ to make Wolfram cry, the bastard!

"Wolfram, consider that Shinou is no longer naming the proper heir to the throne. Succession will pass into the bloodline. Why would the king chose any companion who couldn't produce an heir? Don't rest your hopes on that human child. The kingdom would never accept her as a ruler."

"Even… even if they didn't… Yuuri won't abandon me!"

"Ram, I thought you'd surely know you were being used. I just assumed you were taking the perks and prepared to deal with your reputation when—"

"Shut _up_! Shut up, Mael. You don't know anything! Yuuri loves me!" Yuuri was only around the corner when he heard Wolfram bolt. His steps had taken on a very distinctive rhythm since his legs had healed. Hell, he might fall again. He wasn't nearly as surefooted as he thought. Yuuri ran past Mael, ignoring him completely. He doubted Wolfram would be watching where he was going. He'd hurt himself for sure.

He _was_ healing, though, and before he caught up with Wolfram, Yuuri ran straight into Gwendal, bouncing off him and landing on the floor. Gwendal seemed unconcerned. He also seemed willing to ignore Yuuri slamming into him (excluding a very slight eyebrow raise). "Your Highness's help is requested in putting together a complete picture of the assault on Maddox Bielefeld."

"I, um… I need to go talk to Wolfram. Can it wait?" Wolfram had been crying. He knew it. Yuuri absolutely refused to allow that.

"No. Not as such. The only contribution you're expected to make is a clear picture of the attack as you saw it, and that impression will quickly fade with time." The only contribution. Yuuri found he welcomed Gwendal's comfortable old stabs at his competence. Next to Mael he was the very soul of generosity.

"Alright. But quickly." Yuuri swallowed and stood up, grabbing the hand Gwendal extended. "I…"

"Need to talk to Wolfram. Yes." Gwendal almost smiled. But it didn't resemble those rare little grins of his at all. It was sort of a mournful twitch. "Mael?"

"Yes. Is he always like that? He said some horrible things… And he knows just how to get to Wolfram."

"It is exactly the effect he has on everyone, if he can." Gwendal began walking downstairs, letting Yuuri follow. "Give that man any hold over you and he _will_ find a way to dig into old wounds and fresh alike. It's his way of manipulating adversaries and allies, and Wolfram has always been his favorite place to practice."

"It's his fault, isn't it?" Yuuri swallowed. He wasn't sure if Gwendal would approve of him knowing what Conrad had said about Wolfram's history. "_He_ convinced Wolfram he was a failure."

Gwendal gave him a rather sharp look, but then nodded slowly. "Mainly for his own amusement once. Now he's jealous."

"Jealous of Wolfram?" Everything Yuuri had ever heard about Mael suggested quite the contrary.

"What Mael wouldn't give to have a future as Prince Consort," Gwendal said in a rather oddly soft voice, shooting Yuuri another look that unnerved him a bit for a rather different reason. Ah. Gwendal knew as well. And Yuuri could see in that look exactly what would happen to anyone who toyed with the heart of Gwendal Von Voltaire's baby brother.

It was scary.

Gwendal serenely opened the double doors to the study, where Conrad and Gunter were waiting. "I've found His Majesty." He walked to his seat behind the desk and sat, nodding to Gunter.

"Your Majesty, I was hoping you could help confirm what Conrad reported seeing in the courtyard an hour ago." Gunter was scowling. He didn't like any of this. He so sincerely emulated the peace-loving maou that he'd completely lost his stomach for conflict. Not that he'd had an overabundance of bloodlust to begin with, despite a general wish for less humans cluttering up the place.

"I heard a lot of noise and looked out the window," Yuuri answered slowly, trying to get it all right. If he did it properly the first time, he'd be able to get back to Wolfram faster. "And I saw Maddox fighting with two… men all dressed in black. With masks. He was losing, so I tried to help him. I went out the window—"

"How brave of Your Majesty!"

"Yes, Gunter, sure." He didn't have the patience for being sighed at. "But before I got out very far, one of them stabbed him. And then Conrad came running, so the men in black disappeared." That was really the gist of it.

"Would you describe them as fitting the description of the same trained attack force Stoffel has used in the past on multiple occasions?" Gunter asked, back to businesslike and ignoring Yuuri's attempt to avoid that subject until he had the time to deal with it.

"Yes…" Yuuri sighed dejectedly. "Yes, they were… exactly like."

"I did tell you already, Gunter. I'm afraid there's no avoiding this situation."

"That that _scum_ would stoop so low as to take out his petty vengeance on the innocent son—"

Gwendal coughed circumspectly. "You are likely the only one in a century to describe Maddox as innocent."

"Blameless in this instance, if you insist. Stoffel gave us every impression of his having learned his place and the value of right behavior. His dishonesty stings as much as anything else."

"I'm sure Maddox stings a lot more." Yuuri sighed. "I know I should be more help, but I really have to go and see Wolfram. So I hope you'll all excuse me. I'm taking my royal leave." He turned and hurried away before Gunter could catch him. He would be a good, attentive, decisive leader in the morning.

When he got to his room, planning to ask Wolfram for a private concert and to give him a long, soothing massage for his trouble, Yuuri found his fiancé asleep instead, curled up on the edge of the bed and still in his clothes. The pillow was damp and Wolfram looked pale. Yuuri climbed in beside him, running his hand down Wolfram's arm. There was a slight twitch in response, no more.

Yuuri tugged off Wolfram's boots and pushed the hair out of his face a bit. No trouble worries about disturbing him. Wolfram would sleep through anything short of Greta landing on him. He draped a blanket over him and kissed his forehead.

Yuuri took a deep breath and moved close, wrapping his arm around Wolfram's waist. If he could find any peace in sleep, Yuuri would be glad to leave him there. But still, something… something had to begin to undo the damage Mael might have done. Yuuri put his mouth right against Wolfram's ear.

He had a strange, sudden urge to bite and ignored it only with difficulty.

"Yuuri loves you very much." He'd found the simplest sentiments rang truest. Yuuri nuzzled Wolfram's hair a bit and got a sleepy, contented sigh in return. At least something had gotten through. He lay back, cuddling close but letting Wolfram rest. Greta came in about half an hour later and tucked herself in.

"Yuuri?" She poked him gently, not sure if he was asleep.

"Hmm?" He pulled away from Wolfram a little to answer.

"Do you think Mael's a horrible, mean person? And his father, too?"

"Yes." He nodded very emphatically. "Why? Did he say something to you?" If that bastard had been terrorizing his daughter…

"Um… I just wanted to know if you hate him too. He's scary."

"No. No, he's just a spiteful, nasty…" Yuuri practically growled. "And I bet he learned it from Lord Evert. You shouldn't be scared of him, though. If he says something mean to you, you say something back. And… and kick him in the shins."

Greta giggled, but she looked nervous and didn't say anything else except goodnight.

The next morning, Yuuri rose quite early. His arm was fast asleep from being under Wolfram all night, and Wolfram himself was stirring. Well, they'd gone to bed right after dinnertime. No surprise. He got up and dressed automatically, horrified at the prospect of the day he was surely about to face. Wolfram rolled out of bed about five minutes after Yuuri got up, groggily walking to the vanity and running a comb through his curls.

Yuuri walked up behind him and hugged him. "Morning."

"Yuuri…" Wolfram looked at him a bit puzzledly, but he smiled. "Morning…"

"I was thinking, um, well…" Yuuri swallowed. It was a big step just to make Wolfram feel better, but worth it. He was pretty sure. "Once this thing with Maddox is sorted out, do you think we should see about setting a wedding date?"

Wolfram squeaked. And it was his mother's squeak, too. Yuuri made himself a note to not encourage that. "Yuuri, I'd have thought we were going to wait. I mean, you're not even sixteen quite yet. It can't be before then. And there are a huge number of preparations to get underway. Mother can handle most of those and I'm sure your mother would want to be in on the proceedings too, since it's sort of a mother thing, but—"

"I, um, I meant _start_ thinking…" Yuuri was a little surprised by the strength of Wolfram's reaction. He was blushing like a fresh rose and actually fluttering his eyelashes. Wow. "It'd be a tentative date. A while from now. But just so we have something to look forward too." And on a whim, he picked up the comb Wolfram had dropped in mid-squeak and ran it through Wolfram's hair. It was really soft. Yuuri felt this was a very important fact he should dwell on for a while.

Before he could even begin to get properly started on the extreme softness of Wolfram's hair as an important topic of contemplation for the next little while, there was a timid knock on the door. "Your Majesty?" Gunter. "I apologize for the early hour, but I'm afraid your presence is necessary…"

Yuuri sighed. "I'm awake. It's okay." He left Wolfram staring into the mirror in paroxysm of shock and opened the door. He was still in his pajamas, but he was awake. "What is it?"

"I'm afraid that while visiting his brother, Mael overheard Giesela and I discussing the probability of Stoffel's involvement and brought the matter straight to his father. Evert is raving about executions and wars and general blood and destruction." Gunter sighed. "We were unguarded, Your Majesty. I apologize."

"It would have happened sooner or later. I'll get dressed." He ducked back in and pulled his clothes from the closet. Wolfram was still at the vanity. Yuuri smiled at him fondly and then dressed hurriedly. In the closet. Amazing how shy he'd gotten just out of empathy. Essentially, the sight of any part of Wolfram that was usually covered by clothing made his head a little light, and he could only imagine it was the same for his fiancé. Maybe when he was feeling more adventurous that would be okay, but as it was… He just blushed and hurried out to try and calm things down.

Gunter led him to the throne room, where most of the yelling seemed to be. Yuuri was still yawning a little as he stepped into the hall, where two guards had spears crossed in front of Stoffel, which was keeping Evert from attempting to gut him as much as keeping him from escaping. Raven was hovering nearby, looking very strained. Mael looked downright vicious. Amused vicious, which was even scarier. And there were no spears between the two of them.

And all of Stoffel's men and all of Evert's and a few extras who were just hovering around the castle were also around to join in the screeching. Yuuri couldn't even see where to begin. "Everyone, please be quiet?"

Well, no response. What a surprise. He tried being a bit louder, and found himself still ignored. They didn't even notice the scrawny boy in their midst. Yuuri thought maybe he should have dug out his section of carpet that marked his office as maou. This early in the morning, though? Yuuri sighed and hopped up the steps to the throne. At least people looked. It was a matter of habit. Movement in that bit of the room meant something was going on.

"Will you all please calm down? Or I'll… have all of you arrested." He really _hoped_ that wasn't an empty threat. Both of them had brought an awful lot of guards with them, and it would be just Yuuri's luck if the castle got stormed from the inside as a result of a couple of nobles' spat.

The noise died down, though Evert was still moving subtly back and forth like a snake looking to strike and Mael had his sword half-pulled on Raven. "Well, that's better… Might as well get on with it. Lord Stoffel Von Spitzberg, you stand pretty much accused of arranging an attack on Maddox Bielefeld…" This didn't strike Yuuri as appropriate due process. Not that civics had ever held any more fascination than Gunter's other lectures, but he was fairly certain this wasn't much of a fair trial.

"Your Majesty, I protest." Stoffel straightened, drawing his cloak over his shoulder to look statelier. Unfortunately, he _hadn't_ had time to lose the pajamas, and the effect was absolutely silly. His pajamas had polka-dots. At least Raven's were a more dignified black.

"I'm not surprised. Um… Well, I saw what happened to Maddox, and the guys who stabbed him looked pretty much like the ones that, you know, you had kidnap me." This did not look good for Stoffel. Though Yuuri could see where it served him right. If it weren't for the massive implications of this mess, he might be happy to let Stoffel get his just desserts for once.

"The fact that similar tactics have been used in the past, Your Majesty, is only circumstantial evidence!" Which was completely true, and for which Yuuri didn't have much of an answer.

"My son is unconscious and under the constant care of a healing witch, you worthless pile of dragon dung!" Evert looked a bit surprised at his own crudeness, but under the circumstances, it seemed reasonable. Though Yuuri noticed Giesela was actually in the room, frowning, so Maddox's need couldn't be _that_ great.

"And the boy has my sympathies. He's no great loss, but certainly more of one than _you_ would be. But—"

"Be _quiet_!" Yuuri was so tired of them. "I want this sorted out, but if it's just going to turn into you two trading insults all the time, what' s even the point?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Evert bowed in his direction. Yuuri's eye was caught to one side o him, following a small shape moving through the crowd. Greta? She shouldn't even be awake. Wolfram ought to have been able to handle her. Though Wolfram was coming through the door now, too. Most of the castle had arrived at this point.

"If we could all just stay calm, maybe…" He wanted to get off the throne and go pick up Greta. She shouldn't be wandering around in a room full of swords. But he didn't want to call attention to her either. If Stoffel had really lost even his little remnant of decency, then she might not be safe if he realized she was in the room. He could only hope someone would catch her. She should know better, anyway.

"I would try, Your Majesty, for the sake of your sensibilities, but while my younger son lies in a strange bed with his blood on this man's hands, I can't be silent." Evert did look like he was restraining himself. Yuuri checked Greta again. To be sure. She seemed to be talking to… Raven. Odd. And maybe dangerous. But Wolfram was headed in their direction.

"I understand. But you should still show restraint." Yuuri sighed. "I think it's very _probable _that Lord Spitzberg was the one who had Maddox attacked… and those other people." Poor, innocent townsfolk. That had been his style in the past, too. Yuuri was getting angry.

"If… If I may, Your Majesty, your prudence behooves you well, but this is a black and white matter. Maddox is grievously wounded and the henchmen of one who has before proved himself a traitor are the perpetrators of the grisly act. Furthermore—"

"Liar!" The voice was high, sharp, and piercing. It took Yuuri a moment to realize it was Greta who'd yelled. "You're lying. Yuuri, he's lying! I heard him! He wants you to kick Stoffel out of the castle so he got his own guards to dress up like Stoffel's and scare everyone! And he told them to hurt Maddie to make it so people would believe it! I bet he even sent Maddox out then to make sure! I heard him talking! I heard him and he said he'd have Mael hurt me and you and Wolfram if I told! But he's a liar!"

As she screamed, she ran toward her father, quite frightened despite the bravery she'd coaxed out of herself. She ran right past Evert, and his sword whipped out, fury contorting his features, the truth catching him before the flawless mask Mael had inherited so well could cover it. The sword was out and Greta was close. Yuuri was on his feet, but too far away. Wolfram was trying to run, but he was blinking sleep from his eyes and his legs tended to be stiffer in the mornings.

But Raven was there as well. He snatched the sword from Wolfram's belt. (Wolfram would never come down without his swordbelt. Amateurish.) He dove forward and managed to roll without injury even over the marble floor. The borrowed blade shot up and caught Evert's before it could descend, shooting it backward. Lord Von Bielefeld's sword fell on the floor behind him and snapped in two.

Conrad and Josak had swords on him before he could even turn and see the mess made of his blade. Raven, humble and dutiful as ever, handed Wolfram's sword back with a slight bow and patted Greta on the head on his way back to Stoffel's side.

Yuuri's eyes flashed. For a moment he felt a swell of the Maou's power. But that wasn't needed here. He was just angry. "You _disgust_ me." He stood and glared, then raced down the steps, stopping only when Gwendal glared at him. "Using your own son as a pawn in a stupid game? He could have died!" He was seething. No. No, he didn't need the Maou. "And then you take it out on a little girl when your petty little plans go the wrong way?"

"What do you want done with him, Your Majesty?" Conrad smiled. He was enjoying this a little too much. Well, actually he was enjoying Mael's furious sputtering behind them.

"I…" He wanted him beheaded at the moment, but he swallowed his temper. "I would like him firmly escorted from the city. And I don't want to see him again."

"Don't you think that's a little lenient, Your Majesty?" Josak's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Greta, who was getting hugged by Wolfram and looked very shaken.

"Yes, but he didn't actually manage to commit any crimes. Except against Maddox." Yuuri sighed, covering his face in one hand for a moment. "So I guess he's kind of incompetent, huh? But if we try to strip him of his lands and titles we'll end up creating a lot of bad feeling among the nobles on his side, risk a war, and be divided from the inside." He could learn. A little. Gwendal, who had just walked up with a neatly disarmed and angrily cursing Mael in a headlock, nodded in surprised approval.

"So he's banished. For now. Maybe he'll see the error of his ways." Yuuri did believe everyone had some good in them and that someday, everyone really could get along. He was just increasingly prejudiced toward Evert. He had an unfortunate tendency to strike against the people Yuuri loved.

"Your Majesty! My father is a respected and powerful member of the Ten Aristocrats—"

"Shut up or I'll banish you, too, you mean-spirited jerk." Yuuri glared at him. "Oh, and one more thing." He turned around. "Raven?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" He smiled blandly, turning from a conciliatory conversation with Stoffel.

"You saved my daughter. I just want to thank you."

"Yuuri!" Greta tugged on his shirt. "He… he also was the one who told me I should tell you the truth. He said that good is its own reward and that liars will never be able to cover up the truth if people are brave. I asked him because I guess he seemed smart and he was with Lord Stoffel a lot. And because he gave Wolfram his bass. I guess I just like that part."

Raven looked like he might have blushed if he'd actually possessed any blood that might rush to his cheeks. "I merely gave the princess some general advice, Your Majesty. She seemed troubled. I didn't know the context."

"Well, still." Yuuri smiled. "In that case… I'm going to knight you. For saving Greta and being very generally useful." And it seemed like a wonderful slap in the face to Evert. "But I think I'll do it after everyone's dressed and has had breakfast. And he's outside the city." Yuuri jabbed his thumb disgustedly at Evert. "So, um… why don't we all reconvene in an hour?"

There was a point at which the castle staff and retainers of every strata of Shin Makoku society and even the few ambassadors on hand got used to Yuuri. There wasn't anything else to do with him, after all. It had been quite a morning, but it wasn't even eight o' clock yet. The crowd dispersed. Josak and Conrad led Evert away with obvious satisfaction.


	5. Sour Amaretto

It was evening of the next day before Evert could be properly banished, despite Yuuri's proud posturing. His declaration had been very theatrical and forceful, but you couldn't throw a nobleman outside the city gates any more than you could strip him of his titles without repercussions. He left under lantern light, and Yuuri could see the procession move into the distance like a bunch of fireflies. Nasty ones that were sure to come back and bite.

"Pity we couldn't have gotten rid of Mael, too." Conrad sighed, watching Evert's retinue leave the city in full state, banners flying as high as when they'd arrived. Bastard. "But you handled the situation well, Yuuri. I was impressed. You're becoming a truly wise maou as well as a great one."

Yuuri shrugged. Sure, Evert's situation had been diffused for the time being, but things weren't really back to normal. Stoffel seemed to think he now had every right to… everything. Declaring someone a knight turned out to be more paperwork than Yuuri had ever done on a single subject before. Candide was still fuming in the dungeon and Wolfram had been in an odd mood Yuuri blamed entirely on his nasty brother. "I don't think we should start celebrating yet," he said cautiously.

"You're correct, but there's no reason not to enjoy a well-deserved bit of praise." Conrad turned, heading back inside from the balcony on which they stood.

"I'm still not sure that I deserve much of anything. It was Greta and Raven who closed this case." Yuuri sighed and followed. "Conrad… Why do you hate Mael so much? I mean, I do. Everyone does. But you usually seem to be able to take people saying… stupid stuff about your parents."

"Some people can just really get under your skin." That was true, but Conrad said it with his mouth oddly tight, a funny look in his eyes. There was more to it than that. Yuuri wanted badly to ask, but Conrad was entitled to his secrets. "Something else is bothering you, isn't it, Yuuri?" He looked back with his usual understanding smile and there was no trace of the vindictive darkness Yuuri had seen before.

"Mael said some really terrible things to Wolfram. I'm just trying to figure out how to undo the damage." He'd perked up at the mention of the wedding, but he still seemed strangely shy and uncertain. He wasn't acting like himself at all. Yuuri was starting to be really worried.

"Oh. Yes, Mael does that. What was it this time?" Conrad looked as concerned as Yuuri felt as he led the way back downstairs. They were both late for dinner, very determined to see the last of Evert for a while.

"That I heard… That, um…" It was sort of embarrassing to talk about. Yuuri swallowed. "That I was only engaged to Wolfram by accident and I'd dump him as soon as a halfway decent girl came along…" Yuuri felt especially bad because a few months before, it would have been perfectly true. And Wolfram would still have trusted Yuuri.

"I see. I'll have a word with him." Conrad closed his eyes. "All the advice I can give you is to try and sooth Wolfram's doubts."

"I've been trying." Yuuri sighed. "But yeah, I'll… I'll try harder." He ventured a hopeful smile and Conrad fondly patted his shoulder.

They reached the dining room and Yuuri ran right for Wolfram, sitting next to him with a smile. Mael was at the table, but so was Gwendal, and Yuuri hoped he wouldn't have had the guts to try to hurt Wolfram with a very protective Voltaire glaring at him. And Gunter was even helping with the glaring, though he kept getting distracted by the fact that Arianwyn had shown Greta how to make a small catapult from a spoon and chunk of potato and both had discovered Gunter's mildly elongate nose made a great target. Even Gunter's poise had a limit.

"Hey, Wolfram." Yuuri smiled casually and took his hand under the table. "Just watched him run off with his tail between his legs." 

"Sweet of you to say, Yuuri, but I doubt it." Wolfram sighed and took a long swallow of wine. "Still, you managed this in a much less wimpy way than usual." He smiled a little. Yuuri was glad to see him do it.

"It was indeed an appropriate way to protect your honored subjects," Mael said with a glimmering smile.

"Congratulations. I have seldom seen such an aptitude for seeing the world as you wish it were," Gwendal said darkly, almost a whisper, enough to get Mael to start to glare at him before he remembered to be suave. Yuuri held his napkin up and grinned behind it. So Gwendal could serve Mael back his own medicine. Good to know.

"Yeah, we'll let you know when we _find_ some honored subjects. I mean, well, I guess they're found… But they aren't you." Arianwyn looked slightly confused at the unpleasantly logical turn his quip had taken and stood up, reaching for the wine. Mael rolled his eyes and passed him the bottle. Yuuri felt a little sorry for Airhead sometimes. And he seemed to be less interested in Wolfram these days. That earned him a lot of points.

Mael fell silent as the meal went on. It was exceedingly pleasant. Yuuri silently gloated over his own and his devoted assistants' ability to shut up that lousy jerk from sheer force of will. Wolfram even looked a bit cheerier, though Yuuri noticed him lingering over his wine glass and from past experience could imagine what was putting that rosy smile on his face.

Interestingly, Yuuri didn't find that possibility objectionable. He remembered much too clearly what an unmanageable, demanding pest Wolfram was when he was drunk, and there was no reason on earth he'd want to deal with that again. The little lush. But he was so cute with his cheeks turning pinkish…

So cute that Yuuri managed to miss both Gwendal and Conrad looking disapproving at him.

"Yuuri, will you walk me upstairs to bed?" Wolfram's hand was on his arm. In full view of all the brothers he had who weren't currently unconscious, his daughter, and Petunia the rat, who was running around on the woodwork in case of crumbs. Yup, he was drunk.

"Sure. Um, Greta, maybe Gunter will read you a bedtime story tonight…"

"Is Wolfram sick?"

"Um… not exactly. Might as well, be, though."

"I'm not sick. I'm fine. I just want Yuuri to walk with me…" He wrapped both arms around Yuuri's waist and kissed his cheek. "Otherwise I might fall down."

Yuuri's cheeks went the color of a sailor-scaring sunrise. He tried to stammer a goodnight to everyone, but all that came out was a sort of stunned grunt. He turned around and grabbed Wolfram's arm, managing with difficulty to disentangle it from his middle. "Can we at least get to our room?"

"Our room?" Wolfram beamed. "Oh, but why…? I'm your fiancé, after all." He kissed Yuuri again. They were about two steps out into the hall.

Why, oh _why_ had he thought Wolfram getting drunk again might not be so bad? Yuuri dragged him toward the stairs and up. Wolfram at least wasn't quite as wasted as last time. He could stand up for the most part, though he did teeter. That might or might not have been his fault. Yuuri was half running as he dragged Wolfram along. He would never, _never_ get used to affection in public. He was completely sure of it.

Yuuri slammed the door to their room with a sigh. "Did you have to do this, Wolfram? I know Mael drives you crazy, but—" The lecture was interrupted when his mouth suddenly became very full of Wolfram's tongue.

What had he been talking about again?

Wolfram's hand raked through Yuuri's hair. His other arm was around his waist. Kind of. A bit low, actually, more like his hips. That was new. But hard to pay attention to with Wolfram kissing him so very enthusiastically. And holding him pretty tightly against the door.

"Wolfram…" Yuuri was a bit stunned after Wolfram left off his mouth a moment. "Um…?"

"What?" He was smiling cheerfully, his hand sliding along Yuuri's jaw. The maou shivered a bit. That was surprisingly… sensitive.

"Um, well…" He really should talk to Wolfram about this habit of his. But if it led to being kissed like that, Yuuri might have to weigh the pros and cons again. "That was nice."

"Mm-hm." Wolfram's other hand cupped Yuuri's chin, and he kissed him more softly this time. "Why are you against the door?"

"You put me here." And Yuuri couldn't say he minded.

"Oh. Right." Wolfram seemed to consider a moment and stepped backward, bringing Yuuri with him. Only then did he manage to overbalance and land on the carpeted floor with a rather loud thud. "Ouch."

Yuuri had managed to keep his footing. Wolfram's grip was slightly less vice-like while inebriated. He leaned over, though. "Are you alright?"

"No." He grabbed Yuuri's belt and yanked him onto the floor as well. He was still quite strong, though Yuuri came eagerly enough. His belt's integrity had failed him before, and he wasn't sure he wanted to see Wolfram's reaction to pulling it off. "Kiss me and make it better."

Yuuri did that gladly enough. He realized only after he finished that he'd managed to end up in Wolfram's lap. And he liked it there very much, but Wolfram's legs… "Am I hurting you?"

"Nope. All better now." Wolfram kissed him again, hand on the back of Yuuri's neck and fingers wandering a bit. Another surprisingly intense sensation. "I love you, Yuuri."

"I love you, too." Yuuri kissed Wolfram's cheek very softly. "But you shouldn't keep getting drunk when you can't stand your brother."

"Oh, but it's so much _fun_." He pouted (damn, he had the perfect face for pouting) and shoved Yuuri off his lap. The maou ended up on his back, glad for the thick carpeting. Man, Wolfram was moody sometimes.

Or, also possible, Wolfram was following him down and now sprawled half on top of him, kissing some more. Yuuri shivered. He'd sort of liked the door, and being caught between the floor and Wolfram's weight was even better. He kissed back the best he could while pretty much immobilized. Wolfram's hand was sliding down his side. Yuuri wiggled a little. He was kind of ticklish.

He gasped as he felt his shirt flicked aside. Wolfram's fingers slid just a little underneath, stroking his waist. His fingernails were kind of long, but he was being gentle. But when he wandered a little further back, slipping his hand under Yuuri to rest on his lower back, Yuuri jumped. "Wolfram!"

"What?" Wolfram blinked. His eyes were hooded and intense, and he didn't look that interested in listening.

"Um… Um, that's…"

"It feels nice, doesn't it?" He spoke with his lips brushing Yuuri's. The maou was quickly running out of focus.

"Yes! I mean, no, well, yes, but… You're drunk. I'm taking advantage of you."

"Who's taking advantage of who?" Wolfram asked, cocking an eyebrow. Or that was what Yuuri thought he was trying to do. He wasn't very good at it, and the other eyebrow half rose with it. It was an adorable expression. And a good point. And Wolfram managed to dispel any other doubts Yuuri might have had pretty quickly by leaning down and biting his ear playfully.

That was dispelling coherent thought more than doubts, but Yuuri actually squeaked in answer and Wolfram giggled. He flicked his tongue out at Yuuri's earlobe. "My Yuuri."

"Yeah." Yuuri blushed and shuddered a little as Wolfram moved down from his ear, over his neck. Oh, wow. He gave up. "Yours."

"Good." Wolfram nuzzled him, but broke off midway to yawn. "Damn. Now I'm sleepy."

"Well, you _are_ drunk." Yuuri tried to swallow his disappointment.

"Uh-huh, and it's weird. I only had two glasses."

"What?" Yuuri tried to snap his head back to focusing.

"Two. One with dinner, and then one from the bottle Mael brought. Don't know why he was all excited about it. He's usually a wine snob, but it was kind of too sour." On a whim, he nipped Yuuri's neck again. Roughly. Wolfram liked making Yuuri jump. "Will you tuck me into bed?"

"Um…"

"Please?"

Oh, he'd learn to deny Wolfram's pouty face someday, but the superhuman effort would have to be undertaken later. Yuuri picked Wolfram up, stumbling only a little as he made the two steps toward the bed. He'd lost weight, and Yuuri had gained a little muscle, but he was still kind of deadweight. Deadweight that nuzzled Yuuri's chest in an interesting way indeed while he was being carried.

"Thanks, Yuuri." Wolfram grinned and lay his head down. "Even wimps are sweet sometimes, you…" His voice dissolved into a yawn and he was asleep. Yuuri sighed. Lush.

Except… two glasses? Even Yuuri could down two glasses without more than a little head rush. He hadn't noticed that Mael had brought wine. But he hadn't been sitting near Mael. Sort of on purpose. Had he done something to it? Yuuri suspected him immediately, but he couldn't see any great advantage to making Wolfram drunk quickly. It was a bit embarrassing, but Wolfram had Yuuri to take care of him.

And it had been _very_ nice. Yuuri briefly wondered if he could get Mael to do it again before he shook his head. He should go check on things, see if there was any tampering. He kissed Wolfram's forehead and left the room. Dinner had broken up and been cleared, and Yuuri didn't see any bottles left lying around. He turned to head back upstairs and puzzle over it a bit more, but as he started through the door, Gunter ran into him.

He looked horrified as Yuuri stumbled back a bit. "Your Majesty! I apologize sincerely!" He bowed so low Yuuri thought his nose must have hit the floor. "I beg your pardon and will make restitutions in the near future."

"Um, that's fine, I don't need any." Funny. Usually Gunter wanted all restitutions made right away. "Is something the matter?"

"Your wise discernment is as precise as ever, Your Majesty." Gunter frowned. "I haven't seen my brother since dinner. I agreed to help Gwendal reorganize the guard detail for tonight due to a cold that's been afflicting several of the men, so I was occupied as the meal ended. And Arianwyn isn't in his room."

"Oh." Yuuri didn't think there was a reason to worry. Arianwyn was usually running every which way. Why would he settle down right after dinner? "Is he usually back in his room?"

"Not usually, Your Majesty, but he's been sniffing and I asked him to come see Giesela. Arianwyn tends to react badly to colds, and he knows it. He doesn't want to be stuck in bed for a week." Gunter sighed. "How is Wolfram?"

"Asleep. I'll help you look for Airhe-Arianwyn." It would be something vaguely useful to do. Even if the elder Von Christ had probably just gotten distracted by a shiny pebble.

"Your Majesty is so gracious." Gunter bowed and didn't try to convince Yuuri he had luxurious, kingly things to do. He must have been more than a bit worried. In retrospect, Arianwyn had sounded a little congested at dinner.

Arianwyn was not in the throne room (where he liked to admire all the ornamental swords mounted on the wall and then proceed to criticize their balance if he could figure out how to take them down to swing), raiding the kitchen, or roaming the courtyard. He didn't usually hang around anywhere else. Gunter was starting to fret seriously as they walked back into the castle.

There was an odd sound from down the hall. Yuuri would have thought it was a cat. Except that cats said baa, and there probably weren't any dragons around. He ran ahead a few paces, ignoring Gunter's politely inquisitive noise. The door it came from again as he reached it led to a space too big to be a closet and too small to be a room where the maids stored spare furniture. Yuuri considered a moment and then opened the door.

He wished he hadn't. Well, no, he was glad for Airhead's sake he had, but there were images he wanted burned on his retinas, and images he did not. A drunk, flushed Arianwyn sitting on a dusty table with his shirt half off being kissed by Mael was definitely a vision he would like torn from his memory and burned so it couldn't injure anyone else. Yuuri stared for a moment, frozen.

Arianwyn was a flirt, but he didn't like Mael. No one liked Mael. Mael, who had brought wine to dinner that had knocked Wolfram nearly senseless after one glass… There was something to that, but Yuuri couldn't really work out what it was.

He didn't have to. Gunter swept past him without even apologizing for brushing against His Gracious Majesty and punched Mael on the jaw, knocking him backwards. "Your Majesty, if I may beg a boon, could you assist my brother?"

"Um… sure…" Yuuri was almost completely sure he shouldn't let his subjects get into a fistfight. Mael was taking a swing back at Gunter. He had a decent right hook, but Gunter was fast. He got out of the way. Yuuri dodged around them and headed over to Arianwyn. "Want to get off the table?"

"Yeah, but the ground's far away." He looked very out of focus. Yuuri wondered how much of Mael's wine he'd drunk.

"Um, just hop down. I'll catch you." Yuuri put out his hands. Arianwyn took them and immediately fell on Yuuri. He'd been expecting it, and Arianwyn was tiny, so the maou actually managed to keep his footing. He wished Arianwyn would fasten his shirt back up, but he didn't look up to it. Yuuri gingerly reached over and secured the top button, which solved most of the problem. Lucky Wolfram was passed out at the moment, though.

Yuuri pushed Arianwyn hurriedly from the room. The fight was beginning to get serious. He felt on one level that it was better they work it out this way. There might be bruised cheeks and egos, but no one was likely to be seriously injured, and it might iron out bad feelings. Even Yuuri could guess it wouldn't end there, though, and Mael seemed to hit pretty hard.

"Stop it, you two!" He picked up an abandoned shoe and chucked it at Mael's chest. All his baseball practice paid off and he actually managed to hit the bastard where he'd planned. It was only a shoe, but it was enough distraction for Gunter to… get in another swing. Ideals of peace and universal camaraderie were one thing, and attempting to entrap his older baby brother quite another!

"Gunter!" Yuuri knew the man would sulk for a month if the maou raised his voice to him, but what other choice did he have? "Stop it now!" He really didn't want to separate them. Two trained, adult warriors, angry as they both clearly were, could plow over Yuuri unless he let the Maou out. And he did _not_ want to raise a broken furniture golem!

Gunter seemed to snap to his senses, but not all the way back. He calmed down, but only enough to throw his sword at the floor at Mael's feet. There was a long moment wherein Yuuri wasn't sure if it was going to be picked up, when he tried to think of something magical to say to diffuse the situation. But he had nothing. Gunter's fury was clearly justified. Talk about taking advantage of someone.

Mael looked reluctant, but he picked up the sword. Yuuri realized later than turning down a duel in front of the maou would have lost him a lot of face, or at least in Mael's little world of status and competition it would have.

Yuuri swore under his breath. But at least a duel would be organized, even if there had been far too many around here lately. Having even the younger Bielefelds in residence seemed to cause that. "Alright, can that be settled until tomorrow? Please? Can it be?" Yuuri looked back and forth between them. "Gunter? Maybe you should take Airhead to bed?"

"Wise and just, Your Majesty." Gunter didn't even seem to be paying attention to Yuuri. The phrase was randomly constructed out of words he generally used toward the maou. He stalked out of the room and picked up Arianwyn, who seemed to have fallen asleep in the hallway. A moment later, Mael slipped out of the room as well, leaving Yuuri confused, angry, and very much on edge.

And the next morning, the whole castle knew. Yuuri found that out after disentangling himself form a Wolfram who seemed to not know if he should be apologetic or smug, but definitely knew that clinging to Yuuri was his best plan. They went down to breakfast together, arm in arm with Greta skipping ahead of them. Conrad and Gwendal met them before they were even off the stairs.

Seeing this would be a grown-up conversation, Greta went on her way. She was hungry.

"Wolfram?" Conrad smiled a little stiltedly at his younger brother. "How's the head?"

"Fine!" He tried to stick his nose in the air, but the sudden jerk of his head was too much for him and he grimaced with pain. He wasn't as badly hung over as Yuuri had seen him before, at least.

"As it ought to be." Conrad lifted his arm, and was holding a bottle about three-quarters full of a dark red liquid. "Anissina's tested this. Apparently it's been tampered with rather severely."

"I guessed." Yuuri tried to look completely neutral about that, but Wolfram was turning red and there was nothing he could do about it. "Um… Did he do something to make it stronger?"

Conrad looked slightly awkward, which was a very odd expression to find on that serene face of his. "Not exactly. It's laced with a love potion."

"Lust." The word was a growl. Yuuri had half forgotten Gwendal was there. He _was_ good at vanishing into the woodwork. But now that he had the maou's attention, it was hard to look away from him. He looked absolutely furious. Yuuri had seen him this angry only once before, when Hube had still been considered a traitor on the run.

Even Conrad looked at little surprised at the anger in his elder brother's voice. "That's… more accurate, yes. It's essentially human magic. Would have very little effect on most mazoku. Which I assume is why about half of this bottle is made up of the potion."

Yuuri shivered. Suddenly the last night didn't seem like it had been so pleasant after all. It was one thing if Wolfram had been drunk. Then he was himself. If it had been outside magic working on him… That was a very different story. They exchanged hurried glances, and Wolfram's eyes told about the same story. Ouch.

Conrad paused, leaving time for anyone to say something in reply. Yuuri and Wolfram were busy being mortified, though, and Gwendal was glowering, clearly trying to keep his temper in check. Petunia was on the floor, but her mouth was full of a mooched cookie and only Josak seemed to be able to speak rat anyway.

"According to Anissina, this can be rather dangerous. Arianwn is still asleep, and likely to be ill for a few days. And if you and Gunter hadn't caught him, I'm sure Mael would have been quite successful."

"Um, at what?" Yuuri had been biting back confusion for the whole night. He'd admit Arianwyn was quite pretty, but Mael had the money and clearly had had the inclination to buy pleasant, attractive company for an evening. Why risk the wrath of _all_ the powerful, irritable people he had managed to tick off with this little debacle?

Conrad started to answer, but Gwendal cut him off. "If he'd succeeded in compromising Arianwyn's honor, marriage would have been the only solution." His voice was very deep and he was still glowering into space.

Compromising his… oh. Yuuri swallowed. _Oh._ Well… then… He didn't know why he was surprised. It was Mael they were talking about.

"It would have been a scandal, but still there'd be only one solution." Conrad frowned at Gwendal again, apparently as confused as Yuuri at the strength of his reaction. Everyone was mad, but Gwendal apparently wanted to gut Mael and leave his intestines out to dry. "And as Gunter's been putting through the paperwork to transfer the family title back to his brother—"

"He's _what_?" That was news to Yuuri. That seemed like a bad plan. A very bad plan. Arianwyn as one of the Ten Aristocrats?

"It technically should go to him, dope," Wolfram said, apparently done being shocked and back to being irritated. He hated having headaches. "Besides, that'll leave him free to spend all his time and energy making you slightly less of a wimpy disappointment." Wolfram smirked, and Yuuri cringed slightly. This was a very bad plan. Even if Wolfram was apparently loosening up a little. Or maybe he was less jealous and protective if Gunter wasn't immediately before them.

Speaking of which… "Where's Gunter?"

"Preparing for his duel." Conrad sighed. "No dissuading that, I'm afraid."

Yuuri really wanted to try. Gunter would probably listen to him if he insisted. They could really hurt each other. But what Mael had been trying to do had been reprehensible. He deserved to be defeated and humiliated. Yuuri reminded himself to trust people and look for goodness, but there didn't seem to be _any_ he might find. Any at all.

"I'm going to talk to Gunter." He had to do something. Yuuri had no goals in mind. He might just agree with Gunter. This was confusing. Much harder than saving the world from impersonal evil forces. People were confusing. "Where in the _castle_ is he?"

"The armory." Gwendal shook his head. He seemed to have gotten his fury slightly under control. "I'll accompany you."

"Alright." Yuuri paused. He knew where the armory was. "Why?"

"I've arranged to stand as his second." Yuuri didn't know what that meant, but Conrad looked slightly annoyed and Wolfram not much short of shocked.

He hated to display his ignorance, but… "What's that?"

"A second takes over in the event of the… serious incapacitation or death of a duelist." Wolfram was scowling. "It's an archaic practice that's almost never used in modern duels… unless someone expects death to be the end of it!" His voice rose in pitch quite a bit.

"It would also do to hammer home a definite importance and vendetta involved." Conrad looked uneasy. "Who suggested this? Mael or Gunter?"

"I wasn't informed. But I overheard Mael commanding one of his guards to stand as his and offered." Gwendal was walking quickly away and not looking back. Yuuri hesitated even to follow him. Gwendal might be given to crankiness, but there usually wasn't such an edge about it. First Conrad, now Gwendal. Did he have anyone left who was even-tempered and dependable?

Friend Rat darted across his path following a ringing shriek, and Yuuri smiled a bit. Well, alright, but the Josak brand of dependability wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind.

Gunter was in the armory and had actually forgone his flowing white robes for once. Well, as much as was possible for him. He was wearing dark purple leggings and a loose, white tunic that hung halfway to his knees, and his hair was actually tied back. He was staring at the sword in his hand and from the looks of him might have been doing just that for ten minutes. Or an hour.

Yuuri glanced at Gwendal. Still scary. "Gunter?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" He looked over and tried to smile.

"Um… Please promise me you won't kill him? I know what he did was horrible, but I…" Gunter knew. He knew what Yuuri wanted for the world, and that if it didn't apply at home, it was meaningless. And Yuuri knew he didn't have to make the speech. Not to Gunter.

There was a pause, then Gunter smiled and bowed. "I promise." He meant it, too. Yuuri could tell. "But Arianwyn… needs protection."

"Yeah." Yuuri agreed about that. "But thank you." Gunter beamed and bowed, delighted at Yuuri's kindness, and proceeded to talk about it for a few minutes. He seemed almost back to normal. But the maou guessed he was still a bit rattled. "Um, when are you supposed to start dueling?"

"About five minutes ago." Gunter went a bit red. He'd gotten distracted what with cheerleading for Yuuri. He hurried out, grabbing his sword from a chair. Gwendal blinked a few times (he still looked as intense and furious as ever, too) and followed.

Mael had one of the soldiers he'd brought with him as a second, and looked very impressive. That seemed to really be his greatest talent. He was posing more than anything else, swinging a blade experimentally as his long hair and his gold and blue coat caught the wind. Bastard. From above Yuuri's head, someone shouted "Gut him, Gungun!"

Arianwyn was standing on a balcony, looking rather ill, with Giesela hovering behind him. Yuuri smiled, but was startled to hear it shouted again from over his left shoulder. Right into his ear, actually. He put his hand up to cover it and turned to look confusedly at Wolfram. "Ouch."

"Oh. Sorry. But don't be such a wimp. Cut his face off!"

"How would that even _work_?" Yuuri could only hope this situation could be contained. He was going to have to institute a limit on duels around here, clearly. Yuuri watched in increasing horror as Gunter and Mael faced each other, and the seconds faced each other (Mael's looked suitably terrified as Gwendal glowered at him, which was nice), and Wolfram and Arianwyn seemed to be competing over who could be more bloodthirsty. Dorcas raised his hand to signal the start of the duel.

"Hey, Shibuya!" Ken was abruptly at his shoulder. "Ulrike and I found some worrisome energy patterns arising in human country. Not like their usual magic, but not a lot like maryoku, either. It's definitely confusing and probably bad. Do you have a minute?"

"Um…" Yuuri just blinked for a moment. "How did you even get in?"

"A rat opened the gate."

Josak leaned over Yuuri's shoulder. "Did you give her a cookie?"

"No, should I have? Anyway—" 

Yuuri shook his head. "Murata, we're sort of about to have a duel, and it requires my attention, so…"

"Oh." He seemed to notice the poised combatants for the first time. "Well, alright. Here." He pulled a coin out of his pocket. "Josak, call it in the air."

"Heads?"

"Okay." He attempted to elegantly flip and catch the coin and missed it cleanly. Unphased, he dropped to his knees and read it off the ground. "Heads. Gunter wins, redhead loses. Shibuya comes with me right now."

As he stood up, Wolfram caught him by the collar. "Whose fiancé do you think you're dragging around?"

"Yours, of course. And he is the maou and is going to come and take care of his kingly business immediately." Sparks seemed to shoot between the two for a moment, and then some kind of truce was reached. Wolfram let go, still scowling, and nodded. Ken adjusted his shirt. "Come on."

"But the duel…"

"If they won't kiss and make up you can scold them later. Come to the temple and bring your prisoner." He looked quite serious, and more than a little tired.

"Alright…" Yuuri looked over his shoulder. Gunter put his sword back in its sheath and nodded serenely. Gwendal marched past him and blacked Mael's eye, then whirled before there could be a response and marched back into the castle. Wolfram actually smiled, and Yuuri decided it would be safe to leave them alone for a while.

Lady Celi emerged beside Arianwyn and grinned. Yes. Safe. If not for everyone involved. Yuuri felling into step next to Ken. "You mean Candide?"

"He's the one who attacked Wolfram?"

"Yes." Right, bring that up. Yuuri shivered.

"Exactly Candide, then. Whatever it is that Ulrike and I sensed, its heart is right in the middle of the human territory where the move to end the alliance and get back to slaughtering mazoku is strongest."

_Note: I know I'm going to hear about that fluff scene. I don't know _why_ people see Wolfram as submissive. Is it the blond curls? Because he's the most pushy, controlling bastard in Shin Makoku. And Yuuri's a wimp. And that is all as it should be, as far as I'm concerned. So I guess we shall call this one Wolfi, not Yuuram. Sounds cuter, anyway. _


	6. Shades of a Darker Power

Ken had a tattered map spread out on Yuuri's desk. The maou stood beside him, trying desperately to follow. It was all well and good for the Daikenja, but magical theory and technique made his head spin. All he could do without letting the Maou out was heal a few scrapes and bruises, and he had no idea how he did that.

Conrad, Josak, and Wolfram had followed him up, all apparently trusting Lady Celi to keep the peace. Insofar as anything like peace could center around her. Conrad and Wolfram looked grave, and Josak was combing Friend Rat's fur with a tiny comb probably made by Anissina. Yuuri wished he could be so casual.

"I don't really understand how you're following this… whatever it is."

"As it stands, it's… it's a force. It's clearly having an effect. But it's like trying to track wind. There's nothing to _see_ but the result." Ken had the rare, grave look that made him look like an ancient, brilliant hero and not a particularly goofy high school student. "Well, that and some residual energy that Ulrike's managed to pick up in some scrying crystals we modified, but it's very time consuming and difficult to gather those readings."

Yuuri restrained himself from snapping. Was is beyond Murata to answer a question? "What effects?"

"Oh. Well, the energy spikes correspond to… I guess you could call it severe misfortune. Often of the violent kind." He pointed to the various dots on the map one by one. "Here a village that's never had trouble with so much as a rabid deer is attacked by two manticores that should have been up in the mountains five days' travel away. Here the supposed murder of one family's patriarch escalates into warfare between two clans with fatalities on both sides, and the man's death turns out to have been a suicide anyway. They're all like that. Taken as isolated, these are tragic events, but the sort of thing that can happen. People acting rashly, fear and bad luck leading to violence… But look at the way all of them are distributed."

Ken traced his finger slowly over the dots. There were a few scattered here and there, but there was a large cluster out in human territory on the frontier border of Big Cimaron, overlapping into the lands of Cavalcade. Yuuri wasn't any better at geography than he was at history, etiquette, mythology, calligraphy, or anything Gunter taught. But he was pretty sure that was just wild country. High mountains, wide, not particularly fertile plains, some desert, not very heavy population, often ignored by the seat of power.

How typical. Those poor people. Yuuri stared at the dots Murata had indicated and let his eyes slide over the dozens more. People were hurt and dying. And even Ulrike and the Daijenka couldn't tell why.

"Tell me about… about the energy." Yuuri swallowed, trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him. He could cry for the poor victims after he'd done something for him.

"That's even more confusing, I'm afraid." Before he could go on, the door was opened. Raven, in his new greatcoat in the colors he had selected for his coat of arms (deep blue and even deeper green), had his hands on Candide's shoulder. The boy didn't seem to be struggling. Yuuri had been noticing his newest knight had a very calming effect on people. It probably helped that Yuuri hadn't been going down to see Candide since the fork incident, and no one had been making him eat.

"Would you like me to remain, Your Majesty?" For Raven to be so far from Stoffel's side was odd. One could only surmise Celi had given his orders.

"I think Josak can keep an eye on him."

"Sure. Go play with Petunia, Friend Rat." He held up his hand so the rodent could hop onto a bookshelf and scamper off. Josak took over Candide and Raven melted out of the room again.

"Right. He'll be useful. The power we've been sensing is mostly found in the same region as this major grouping of disasters." Ken continued tracing what he meant on the map, but as diagrams hadn't been drawn to help him, the gestures were largely unintelligible. "There are smaller spikes, as well as smaller clusters. Two of them. Here and here." He jabbed a couple of scatters of dots nearby.

"What about here?" Yuuri pointed to a circle of dots that was definitely inside Shin Makoku.

Wolfram coughed. "That's… my father's territory, near the manor. Frankly, we don't have to look much further to explain misfortune lately."

"Oh." Yuuri patted Wolfram's shoulder and let it go. "Well, we've got to head out to this area. Right in the center should be a good place to start looking, right? I guess we'll need a few people. Conrad and Gwendal can come with me, and Giesela in case we need some healing done, plus a handful of castle guards. Big Cimaron's not fond of us, of course, but if we go over the Cavalcade side of the border and only have a small party—"

Yuuri stopped. Everyone was looking at him with measured, disapproving disbelief. Wolfram broke the silence. "You don't _really_ believe we'd let you walk straight into this with the information we have?"

"What else can we do? Murata, is there anything you and Ulrike can find out that we don't know already?"

"Uh…" He looked uncomfortable. "No. Not magically. I'm sure questioning your prisoner could help. This is where you're from, right?" He looked over his shoulder and smiled at Candide in his cheeriest, most irksome manner. Candide turned his head and snorted, which Yuuri couldn't really blame him for.

"He hasn't told us anything but his name, and I left him stewing in the dungeon for a few days while I was trying to deal with Mael and his…" Yuuri shook his head. "I'm sure we'll get to understanding each other someday, but we don't have time now…" Yuuri was sure slow and steady would do the trick. Quick and revelatory wasn't cutting it.

Conrad tried to look stern and ended up just scowling, which made him look a bit more like Gwendal. Same effect as when Gwendal smiled. "Yuuri, think about what you're saying. Putting yourself in danger for the sake of humans in an unknowable predicament is—"

"Is what he does. You won't argue him out of it that way." Josak grinned. "I'll be right back." He ducked into the hall. Yuuri watched him go for a moment and turned his attention back to his other advisors. Josak was confusing.

"But if we don't deal with it, who will? What kind of energy is it?"

Ken looked very sheepish. "We don't know. It doesn't feel like our magic or the humans'."

Not exactly the argument he'd wanted, but Yuuri used it anyway. "I want to protect this world and _all_ the people in it. I know Shin Makoku is my responsibility, but why should that mean I should let people suffer and die just because…" Because why? Because why indeed?

"Because you'd be endangering yourself," Conrad said calmly. "And therefore endangering Shin Makoku. For a human problem."

"But it's got to be involved with the people Candide is working for, doesn't it? That means it's a danger to us, too."

"I can attest to that," Wolfram said, a little sulkily. "But that doesn't mean you should dive in like an idiot, Yuuri! We have no idea what—"

"Not for long!" Anissina was suddenly in the room, the wind catching her hair and dress, emphasizing her maniacal grin. Josak leaned on the doorframe, looking pleased with himself. "Daikenja, take me to the temple. I'll have the name, age, and favorite breakfast cereal of our mystery sorcerer or sorcerers by this evening."

"Oh." Yuuri grinned. He won. He could tell already. "Good. If you get that report right to me we'll get on dealing with the situation." Yuuri spoke quickly, before Conrad or Wolfram could cut in. He'd won fair and square, but he still wanted a little insurance on that.

"Easily done, Your Majesty. This is just the sort of challenge I like. Come along." She beamed beatifically at Murata, who shrank back a little bit. He was less used to Anissina than those who lived in Covenant Castle more or less full time.

"What are you going to do?" Candide hadn't so much as made a sound Yuuri had caught since he'd been tragically forked, so the voice startled him. It was weaker than before and a little shaky, but there was a lot of spirit behind it.

"Um, so far we don't know. Relax, Candide. It's not as though we're going to hurt anyone." He hoped. Yuuri certainly didn't intend to hurt anyone. To discipline, maybe, those who were causing all this. Justice and all.

"No! I won't let you near them! You won't harm any of us because I failed!" He lunged forward suddenly enough to break Josak's grip. Admittedly, Josak had been going kind of easy, not wanting to bruise the poor, fragile kid. Before Candide reached Yuuri, Ken kicked out and twisted his leg up around Candide's knee, throwing him neatly onto his back. He stepped on the kid's ankle.

"Um, Murata, what was that?"

"Hmm? Oh, mostly the guards at the temple have been giving me a little practice. But I was a warrior in a few of my lives, too." He shrugged. "Wow, Shibuya. Even for you, this is an extreme case of persistence."

"It's not his fault." Yuuri winced as Candide tried to get back up and Josak caught him, slinging the kicking, weakened boy over his shoulder. "And he's… he's had moments. He told me his name."

"Yep, only you could pull that off. Well, shall we, Miss Anissina?" He smiled up at the woman, who smiled back and made him cringe again a little. Even the captain of Shinou's guard was more subtle about being terrifying. "We'll try to give you more information as soon as possible. In the meantime… why don't you go spend some time with Wolfram?"

"Well, I can't do anything else until I know more…" He'd admitted at least that.

"Oh, very flattering, you wimp." Wolfram bopped Yuuri on the side of the head. "You had better have a way to apologize. Nicely."

"How about we find Greta and have a picnic?" It had worked in the past. Yuuri tried a smile and got one in return. Wolfram was even moodier these days. He extended his arm to Wolfram and link elbows. "After we make sure Gunter hasn't killed your brother while I wasn't watching, anyway."

"Why? Let him do it." Wolfram caught Yuuri's eye and sighed as they left the room. "It wasn't the potion."

"Huh?"

"I don't care what Mael put in that wine. Maybe it did something to me, but it wasn't the reason I…"

"Oh, that." Yuuri kissed Wolfram's cheek. "I know." He didn't, exactly, but he hoped it would calm Wolfram down.

"Is that alright?" He actually looked worried. "I was… I mean, I was definitely _pushing_ more than maybe I should have, and… I'd never try to make you do anything you didn't—" Yuuri put a finger against Wolfram's lips. It seemed the sweetest way to tell him to shut up.

"Why are you worried, Wolfram? It was nice. And it's not like you've ever held back much in your advances." Yuuri smiled teasingly, though it was hard to even remember back when he hadn't wanted Wolfram to kiss him. It already seemed like another life.

"Because if I tried to make you, I'd be like him."

Yuuri took his arm away from Wolfram's elbow and put it around his waist instead. "I promise, you will _never_ be anything like him." In retrospect, considering Wolfram's jealousy and inferiority complex, maybe that wasn't what should have been said. But Yuuri couldn't just let Wolfram do that to himself. Mael was working hard enough to make him feel worthless. He didn't need the help.

"I love you." Wolfram turned and kissed Yuuri a lot more deeply and enthusiastically than the maou felt was appropriate for a hall in the middle of the castle, especially one Josak had just passed them in, carrying a still struggling Candide. "But you are _such_ a wimp."

"That I am. Let's find Greta." He was a little breathless from the kiss, but in the middle of the day, with so much to do, he couldn't get lost in Wolfram like he had the night before. Greta was making cookies with Doria, who was happy enough to give them a picnic lunch.

The sun was hidden behind clouds and there was just a little hint of a chill to the air today, but that didn't put much of a damper on the general festivities. Wolfram and Greta showed Yuuri how to make a proper daisy chain, and Wolfram displayed absolutely no reticence about his expertise on such a subject. Yuuri modified the technique a little to add one bloom of Beautiful Wolfram to a crown, and managed to make his fiancé blush _that_ way. And that was just for the sandwiches.

By the time dessert was on the way, Greta had invented several new and highly refined flower-based construction techniques and Wolfram had stretched out with his head in Yuuri's lap. Close to healed as he was, he still got tired a bit more easily. Especially if it meant using Yuuri as a pillow.

Petunia appeared on the blanket to enjoy the crumbs of Wolfram's sandwich. Yuuri looked up, in case she hadn't come alone. He found himself looking at Josak's knees. One could forget how tall he was sometimes. "Hi. Is Candide alright?"

"Fine. Well, a little bruised. He threw himself at the bars twice before he realized I wasn't impressed." Josak shrugged. "Um, I know you're busy about now, Your Majesty, but I've got a bit of a favor to ask. My counsin's been offered a commission in an infantry unit that's patrolling down in Karbelnikoff territory and she wants to go give it a look, but her son's not really up to the trip. He's coming to stay with me. Would it be alright if I stuck around the castle? I can get a room in town if you want me to."

"Oh, that's fine." Yuuri was a bit curious about what Josak's relatives might be like. He couldn't help picturing a whole family of them. Except… "Er, which… I mean, um, on what side of your…?"

"She's mazoku," Josak said with a slightly mocking smile, amused at Yuuri's attempt at sensitivity. He meant well. "The kid's a half breed like me, though. Seems the taste for humans runs in the family."

"Well, okay." Yuuri smiled and nodded, at a loss for any other reaction. "Be nice if Greta has someone to play with."

"He's a little older than she is, but yeah, it'll be good for them." Josak smiled and patted Greta's head when she nodded. There was something a little odd about his expression, but Yuuri couldn't pinpoint it before he turned and walked off with a wave. He leaned in to Wolfram.

"I'm sure Josak knows I won't mind his little cousin coming over. Did he look a little strange to you?"

"Maybe. He usually does. I never saw the child, and I've only met his cousin once. Nice woman, if a little frightening."

"Frightening how?"

"She's a lot like Josak."

"Ah."

Anissina was back that night, and dragging a rather worn looking Ken with her, announcing to the dinner table, "I have precisely delineated the patterns and distribution of the energy spikes identified by the priestess and Daikenja as well as ascertained the main attributes that indicate its nature!" Upon seeing her pronouncement hadn't had quite the impact she'd wanted (mainly because everyone was stunned), she stamped her heel onto the table and leaned forward, braced on her knee. "I know exactly what to do."

"That's great!" Yuuri stood up quickly. "What?"

"Why, investigate further, of course, but with a lot more information." She picked up a platter half full of roast pork and shoved it at Mael, sloshing juice onto his lap and drawing a noise from him like a quieter version of his reaction to the rats. At a nod from Anissina, Ken spread a map out on the table. It was the same one as before, with a few penciled in lines on it.

"The energy has its main source right here. I did a bit of research. This is the location of the High Temple of El."

"I've heard that before…" Yuuri bit his lip.

"Your little assassin friend." Ken shrugged. "It's not just his region. It's his exact origin. He's working for the same human cult that's apparently causing this effect."

"So it's a lot of human magic?"

"Nope." Anissina shook her head emphatically. "Not in the least. Couldn't be further from it. What the patterns displayed by this energy most resemble are the ancient writings of the Daikenja and other contemporaries on the activities of Soushu."

"I couldn't see it before because we needed Anissina's, um…"

"Mr. Clarifies the Inadequacies of Lesser Machines."

"Yes, him. I mean, that. But it's not an exact match, either. Whatever it is, it's old and powerful and very bad, but it's somewhat contained. It's acting like Soushu when it hits, but it's weaker and restrained."

Yuuri bit back his protests. If Soushu wasn't finished, what had all those awful trials been good for? He reminded himself at least it had stopped for a while. "So it's like if someone had Soushu on a leash?"

"Something _like_ Soushu, but that's a pretty good grasp of the situation for you." Ken harbored no illusions about Yuuri's mental acuity.

"Ha ha. So we really do just have to investigate. Well, I think my original plan will hold. Me, Conrad, Josak, and Gwendal with a handful of extra hands."

"Ahem!" Wolfram stood up and glared.

"You're still not at your best after that injury." Yuuri said timidly. Even not in top condition, Wolfram could stare him down. "Besides, I don't want you hurt."

Wolfram softened just for a moment before snorting disdainfully. "Ha. As if you'd be alright without me. Remember whose job it is to protect you?"

"Conrad's?" Greta volunteered. Wolfram practically choked.

"Neither of you is going anywhere." Conrad took advantage in the lull in Wolfram's declamations to tug his younger brother back into his seat. "This is even more dangerous than previously assumed. We should arrange an investigation, but the maou should not be placed in such danger."

"Well, the maou makes his own decisions. Right, Anissina?" She'd sided with him before.

"Yes. Even stupid, masculine ones that will likely get him killed." Anissina rolled her eyes. "Listen to your advisors when they make sense. Otherwise you'll be mired in your own youthful ignorance forever." And with that she strode off, perhaps to terrorize someone else. Perhaps in search of chocolate. Chocolate to terrorize.

"When she puts it that way…" Yuuri blushed a bit. "I know it's dangerous, but who's better equipped to deal with it than me? I managed once before."

"You managed to defeat Soushu after it had spent centuries bound and depleted, without anything to feed upon, confined to one point." Gwendal took a sip from his glass before continuing. "The greatest and most powerful Maou you certainly are, we've been assured, but you are still young. You lack the experience Shinou needed to contain and drive back the power and minions of Soushu."

Yuuri admitted that was a fair argument, but circumstances were a little different here. "But Anissina said it's contained now."

"We don't know how, or by what power. It could also be laying low of its own volition." Conrad glanced to Ken, who hesitated a moment and shrugged, which made Yuuri doubt the plausibility of that particular comment a bit.

"But we won't know unless we go find out, and if you all have your way, we won't go until we know more. That's a lose-lose situation." Yuuri looked around for support, but even Wolfram seemed to have joined their camp, as he would any that advocated Yuuri not getting himself hurt.

"Well, Ken, can you find out any more?"

"I'll try. Anissina's machine seems useful, and I do want to see what else it can do. Give me another day and I'll try to find something to satisfy your retinue, okay?" Ken grabbed a roll from the table. "Can I stay for dinner?"

"Sure." Yuuri walked into the other room and grabbed a chair to bring back. He was almost back at the table before he remembered about being the maou and having servants. Never would get used to that, not with his mother glaring at him from memory for being a messy little boy.

Ken left promptly after dinner with promises of results. Yuuri wasn't sure how much he believed he'd get them. It was obviously difficult and unprecedented, and he tried to be patient and fair.

He was careful not to seem strung out to either Wolfram or Greta when they went to bed. Wolfram helped with that a lot by kissing Yuuri to sleep. That did quite a bit to resolve tension. But he woke up knowing it would be a very long day waiting for Ken to get his results.

Yuuri spent half the morning doing paperwork, figuring that if the hours were going to drag anyway, he might as well get something done. He impressed Gunter with his diligence, though not as much as he usually would have. Gunter was doing a lot of work of his own, apparently moving the title to Arianwyn (which still gave Yuuri the heebie jeebies). He was also on edge in general. Yuuri assumed mainly because of Mael, as he kept excusing himself to go check on Arianwyn, who had made a full recovery and was mainly occupied in the courtyard with swordsmanship. Either he intended to run Mael through himself or he was bored.

Yuuri tracked Wolfram down for lunch and dragged him outside to eat. They sat on a stone wall around some flowers near the front gate and enjoyed sandwiches mostly in silence, hands twined together between them. It was nice and peaceful, and Yuuri almost let the situation slide from his mind.

Friend Rat ran past. Nothing special there. Petunia followed about half a minute later, and Yuuri raised an eyebrow. Josak strode past with a vague wave in their direction, and the maou was interested. When he looked over, he saw Josak open the small side door beside the main gate. The big, swinging doors as tall as two men were for state visitors. The smaller one served perfectly well for those not of royal or noble blood.

The woman who stepped through was almost certainly the reason Josak thought he could pull off drag. Had he not been informed Josak's cousin was female, Yuuri probably would have assumed he was looking at the soldier's brother. She was even taller than Josak himself, though a bit narrower. Just a bit, still plenty of muscle. Her face was a bit shorter and less defined, but they had the same coloring, shock red, electric blue, and paper white.

Riding piggyback was a boy who _did_ look about Greta's age. That was the nice thing about Mazoku children, Yuuri thought. They didn't grow up too fast. He too was a pale redhead with shockingly bright blue eyes, but he was a tiny child, thin and quite short for his presumed age.

"Think his father was on the short side?" Yuuri whispered to Wolfram.

"His father must have been a midget for that."

"Actually, I was about that size at Chai's age. We tend to hit our growth spurts a little late." Josak grinned at Yuuri, who suddenly became fascinated with his shoes. Curse his espionage-trained ears.

After exchanging a few words, Josak and his entourage walked over. "Hindelle, Chai, I'd like to introduce you to Shibuya Yuuri, Twenty-Seventh Maou of Shin Makoku." He smirked a bit at Yuuri's slight discomfort at his title. His bashfulness was rather sweet. "Oh, and his fiancé." There was a barely perceptible pause. "Wolfram."

Wolfram looked as disconcerted as Yuuri at _not_ hearing his full list of honorifics, but fortunately, before he said anything, Hindelle cut in.

"We hear almost as much about you from this oaf as we do about Lord Weller." Josak actually balked for a moment while his cousin smiled. "Chai, don't be shy. Say hi to the nice maou."

"Hello!" His voice was extraordinarily high and squeaky. Yuuri hoped Josak really _had_ been a lot like that as a child. It amused him. He waved from his position on his mother's shoulders. He was even paler than Josak, Yuuri could tell up close. Unhealthily pale, aside from a spattering of freckles, and very skinny. "Thank you for letting me stay, Your Majesty."

"I hope you like it here. It's been kind of messy lately, but I know my daughter likes living in the castle. Maybe you two should go play? Have you had lunch yet?" Yuuri was getting better at the parenting thing.

"Nope. Mama, can I have some lunch?"

"Thank His Majesty. Sure. You need to eat more." He slid a little further down her arm and was passed to Josak. Yuuri was getting confused. Why not just let him walk?

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I'll go find Greta and you two can have Sangria make you up a lunch. How'd that be?" Yuuri stood up, holding a hand out for Chai to take.

The boy ignored the proffered hand. "Um, kay. Lunch sounds good, but I'm not always very good with playing with other kids, so—Conrart!"

"Chai!" Conrad suddenly stepped past Yuuri to snatch the boy from Josak's grip and half toss him into the air. "You're getting almost too big for me to do that."

"Really? Because Mama says I really need to eat more so I'll keep growing."

"Oh, definitely. You're going to be taller than your cousin soon."

Wolfram leaned over and whispered into Yuuri's ear, "Conrad can do that to _me_ if he wants to…" Yuuri nodded, but that information didn't strike him as particularly useful. Though it was fairly hilarious and would come back to haunt him next time he most needed to be serious.

He'd finally figured out what was so off-kilter about Chai. From the waist up he was a thin and small but perfectly healthy child, but his legs hung limp and the muscles lacked any definition. It helped Yuuri's deduction to note that Chai's mother had opened her large suitcase and pulled out a mass of metal and canvas that folded neatly out into a small wheelchair. Conrad set Chai down swiftly, but with care and tenderness. He was treating the little boy like he was made of glass.

Yuuri looked at Wolfram, who seemed similarly confused. Clearly he'd never heard that Josak's little cousin was crippled either. Yuuri wasn't very good at this sort of thing. Should he ignore the chair? Was Conrad's excessive care necessary?

"I see you've got an extra surrogate father looking after you, Chai." Hindelle smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead, shooting a sly look at Josak that he ignored. "Now you be a good boy. I should be back pretty soon."

"Bye, Mama. I promise to be good. Or a dragon will eat me."

"What have you been reading now?" She stood, shaking her head. "Goodbye. Josak." She punched him in the arm. "Lord Weller, Your Majesty, Wolfram." Hindelle made a general, sweeping bow and headed back through the gate.

Conrad smiled after her and began wheeling Chai toward the kitchen. Friend Rat jumped onto the boy's lap and curled up, and Yuuri remembered Greta's story about the rodent defending "a little boy" from spiders. Josak caught up with him for a companionable chat. Yuuri started the rise, then sat back.

"We should warn Greta to be gentle when she plays with him." Wolfram said lightly, following them with his eyes. He looked rather uncomfortable. "I wonder what happened to him."

"Could he have been born that way?" Yuuri hoped that. It seemed less cruel to never take a step than to have it snatched away, somehow.

"Maybe." He shook his head. They both watched the little procession go, and Wolfram leaned his cheek against Yuuri's shoulder. "Something's lodged in the back of my head and I can't figure out what."

"Like shrapnel, or something you can't remember?" Yuuri ruffled Wolfram's hair and smiled in response to the irritated look he got. "I hope he and Greta get along. By the way, I was thinking she should probably have a pet. Seem like a good idea?"

"Yes, that'd make sense. She shouldn't have to keep borrowing Josak's messengers." Conversation drifted into mundane topics, but Wolfram seemed still to be on edge, and Yuuri was eaten up with curiosity. What could have happened to the poor child? Would it be in bad taste to ask?

As sundown and dinner approached, Yuuri was beginning to get twitchy. Ken ought to have been back by now, or at least have sent some sort of message. Yuuri knew how difficult this probably was, even for Mr. Infinite Lives and Memories, but at least he could have sent a note about how he was getting along.

Wolfram had decided to go and read, so Yuuri was reduced to pacing around being impatient alone. Which was probably why Wolfram had left in the first place. He leaned against one of the pillars around the practice yard and Friend Rat darted past him. Followed by Greta pushing Chai's chair much faster than probably was safe, the little redhead squealing and giggling. The chair hit a rock and made a jump, spilling them both out. Yuuri started to rush over, but both children were laughing too much for either to be hurt. He walked over anyway, figuring Chai might not feel it if he had been injured below the waist.

He looked fine. "Hi, Your Majesty."

"Yuuri, did you see Chai's chair? It's so great. I wish I had one. People would push me around all the time."

"Yeah, but your butt gets kinda tired. That's the one problem."

"Hehe! You said butt!"

"It does! Wanna chase Friend Rat some more?"

"No, I think he's getting tired. Wanna play baseball instead?"

"What's baseball?"

"You don't know baseball! I'm pretty sure that's against the rules. And how come Josak didn't show you? He's a really good pitcher, but he's not supposed to go in the outfield anymore because he'll chase anything no matter how foul it is. Yuuri, can I show Chai how to play baseball?"

Yuuri was trying to think of a way to delicately point out Chai might have trouble with some aspects of the game when one of the temple guards appeared at his shoulder. "Excuse me, Your Majesty? Ulrike was just wondering if the Daijenka was ready to come back. She's found out something else of interest."

"Um… Murata's not here, though." Yuuri frowned. Certainly he'd have been told. Even if no one wanted him going to investigate, they wouldn't hide new information from him.

"He left the temple several hours ago, Your Majesty, and there's nowhere he'd be headed but here." The girl frowned back. This was worrisome.

"You two play nicely. I'm going to ask if anyone's seen Ken." Yuuri ruffled Greta's hair, noting she'd lifted Chai back into his chair easily. Lots of upper arm strength on that girl. Must have been all the pitching practice. Maybe a little league would be a good idea.

Later. He headed into the castle and found Conrad and Josak having a conversation that stopped very abruptly as he entered the room. "Um… has either of you seen Murata?" he asked, trying not to pry. From the few words he'd caught, it wasn't anything to do with the strange power causing human misfortune, and that was all he cared to meddle in right now.

"No. Wasn't he supposed to be back this evening? Give him a little more time, Yuuri." Conrad turned to go back to whatever was so important. Yuuri noted he had that uncharacteristically dark look again.

"I would, but he left the temple and seems to have disappeared en route." Yuuri sighed. "Who would have been guarding the walls this afternoon?" He'd noticed, though he had a sense he wasn't supposed to, the increase of soldiers wandering around. Everyone was on edge, and his advisors did what they had to. Yuuri wasn't going to argue about that.

"Um, Jonathan and Lyle. I'll go speak to them." Josak let Petunia jump from the table onto his shoulder and nodded to Yuuri. In contrast to Conrad, he almost looked pleased. Maybe he wanted a break from whatever was going on that he and Conrad had to speak about at such length.

Conrad smiled at Yuuri. He looked almost back to normal. "With luck it's nothing, but I'm sure it's at least nothing we can't deal with. Our Daijenka is a bit of a handful, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Knowing him he saw a pretty face and got distracted." Though Yuuri doubted it. Ken's flakey act was just that. An act. He carried the accumulated wisdom of a hundred lifetimes, and he wasn't going to blow off something important.

"How is Chai getting along with Greta?" Conrad seemed to want to lighten the mood.

"Oh, they're hitting it off great. Greta's a friendly kid."

"I was hoping. He obviously has a little trouble getting along with other children."

"About that. Um, was Chai born with—"

Josak burst back into the room. "Bad news. Well, maybe bad news." Josak looked a bit out of breath. "Daijenka walked through the gates. Didn't say anything and seemed subdued, but no one saw anything strange about that. He's a weird one. He walked inside, but that's all they saw of him."

"You'd think he'd have gone to me…" Yuuri cursed under his breath. "Split up. Between the three of us we should be able to find someone who saw him."

Yuuri headed upstairs. Celi, her maid, Mael, Sangria, Wolfram, three guards, and Dorcas hadn't seen Murata since the day before. When he gave up and went downstairs, Josak reported that Raven, Stoffel, three retainers, Doria, a plumber who was fixing the bath, Anissina, Gunter, and Gwendal hadn't seen any more.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, you're looking for Daijenka?" It was Lazana. "I just sent Josak down to the treasure vaults for him. He walked right past me while I was dusting earlier."

"Why is it the only ones who knows anything around here are the maids?" Yuuri asked, hurrying after Josak. Conrad followed. The treasure vaults seemed to have been left open. Yuuri would have to remind Celi about that. Also ask her to return the various jewels she was currently wearing around for fun, Stoffel and Evert's separation now hardly an issue.

(And why on earth had shiny rocks been so necessary anyway? She'd explained, but Yuuri didn't get it.)

"I don't like this." Conrad sighed. "He's behaved questionably before."

"But it turned out to be all for the best anyway." Yuuri didn't want to jump to _that_ conclusion. "The vaults are full of all sorts of old magic stuff." He knew that all too well from experience. "Maybe there's something he needed. He's kind of a flake sometimes. For real, I mean. He may have just forgotten to tell anyone."

"True. Josak, how goes it?" Conrad seemed to be addressing a tiny sliver of red visible through a gap between some boxes.

"Found him." A pale hand waved at them. "Better come and see this, Your Majesty." Yuuri hurried around the crates. Ken was sitting still, staring at a small, circular mirror. It behaved rather oddly, reflecting the scene before it a moment or two behind, the lighting strangely distributed, colors off. It was trying to be a mirror and not quite succeeding. Ken's eyes were open but completely blank, and he didn't respond to Josak's fingers being snapped next to his ear.

"What's _this_ thing?"

"No idea. There are plenty of artifacts down here whose use has been lost, or never was known." Conrad nodded to Josak, who picked Ken up. No response except that his glasses slipped off and would have broken if Conrad hadn't been so quick.

They carried him upstairs. As soon as they left the vaults Ken began to twitch. He abruptly sat straight up, bumping his forehead into Josak's chin with a resounding thunk. "How'd I get here?"

"I'd say at a guess you were carried," Josak quipped, setting him down and balefully rubbing his jaw. "Hard head on you, Daijenka."

"It's protecting all this wisdom." He shook his had violently. "Your chin's not exactly cushioned. …Last thing I remember I was adjusting Anissina's machine. There was a flash of… I guess it almost looked like UV light."

"What?" Conrad blinked and Josak just shook his head.

"Um, purpley." Yuuri just happened to recall that. Trust the straight A student. "And?"

"And I was knocking my head on Your retainer's face."


	7. Changes of Heart

Ulrike could find nothing wrong with Ken. Giesela had no more luck. No doctor or sorcerer at Covenant Castle could determine any reason he might have fallen into such a strange trance. Even more perplexing was how he'd managed to get all the way from the temple to the palace in that state. Possession usually left signs on the victim's body, or at least a vague sense of foreboding. That even the great Daikenja couldn't figure out what had happened to him was decidedly worrisome.

The mirror was another problem all its own. It had been found in the records, thanks to Gunter's obsessive knowledge of the proper place for everything in a general three-miles radius of Yuuri. That wasn't very useful, though. It had been included in a large delivery of curios collected by the nineteenth maou from various merchants around Shin Makoku. Even if the seller could be traced, the records were a few lifetimes old and there'd have been no guarantee of useful information even if the merchant was still alive. Those who dealt in oddities like that often picked them up under strange or not entirely legal circumstances.

It was eventually just brought back to the temple along with Murata, who was handed off to the captain's little sister to be placed under protective guard. If he acted so strangely again, he was to be stopped. Simple enough for a girl taller than Gwendal who used a spear like an extension of her arm. Yuuri was trying to get her on the baseball team as well.

Yuuri had a distinct headache by the time Ken was sent back to try again at searching for information. Under strict supervision. He felt sorry for his friend, of course, and worried, but a lot of Yuuri's concern was for the obvious threat this posed to his plans. If whatever Murata was investigating was enough to fight back from this distance, then no one was going to let the maou anywhere near it. He might have to run away and be heroic. Wolfram would probably help. He could call in Al, maybe get supplies from Flinn…

Even Yuuri knew that was idiotic.

He headed back up the stairs and was hit all at once by a lot of shouting. Something about the way the stone of the stairwell curved tossed it all into his ears at once, and he spent a moment wincing before he could really pay attention to what was going on.

He heard Wolfram. That was enough. Yuuri hurried up and burst into the hallway. His first thought was that it had gotten a lot easier to tell the twins apart. Maddox was walking half bent over, with his hair limp and cheeks looking hollow. He was also seething, leaning against the wall so he could look up at Mael with a truly poisonous expression on his face.

Wolfram was standing to the side. Yuuri was pretty sure he was amused, but he seemed to be trying to separate them. Arianwyn was hovering nearby, looking excited. Yuuri remembered his desire to dismember Mael and… well, Yuuri was actually at a loss to decide what he'd do if Airhead happened to try.

"So you didn't think telling me about this would have been worth it?"

"It was hard enough to trust father's agents to obey without your prior knowledge gumming things up further. You're not exactly the family thespian." Mael glanced over, realized the maou was watching, and got visibly more nervous. "You see that, certainly?" He was speaking a little faster.

"I see that I'm going to spend another week swathed in bandages with a pesky healing witch hovering around." Yuuri heard Giesela snort through the nearest door. She was good at derisive when she wanted to be. "And that apparently Rammy and I might as well _both_ be poor, distant relatives. Except in a normal family even _they_ aren't usually getting half murdered for someone's convenience!"

Wolfram blinked several times. He couldn't remember the last time any of them had voluntarily sided with him.

"Come now, Maddie." Mael smiled and put his hands squarely on his brothers shoulders. Funny. Now that they were really right next to each other, Yuuri thought Maddox was just a hair taller, as he painfully drew himself up to glare at Mael. Not enough to reliably tell them apart, but something. "You know whenever you're hurt, so am I. Someone has to make sacrifices sometimes. We're the same blood. Does it matter much who takes the fall any given time?"

"It'd matter less if it was ever you."

"Well, would it do to put the heir in danger?"

"You're the heir by forty-five seconds, you bastard."

Alright, that was enough. Yuuri simply ducked around them to Wolfram. Maddox was yelling and Mael having trouble keeping his stoicism, so he didn't worry much about being overheard. "How serious is this?"

"I don't know. I've never seen them fight before." Wolfram was smiling a bit. Yuuri disapproved in principle, but he didn't blame his fiancé. "I suggest you just let the thing run its course. Unless one of Josak's rats is around."

"I bet I could find one!" Arianwyn was suddenly leaning in too. Yuuri condiered being annoyed with him and decided it didn't matter. Mostly because Wolfram's hand had snuck into his. And rather than flirting, Airhead was just chattering. "Hey, Wolfram, what's your other brother's name?"

"You mean Maddox?"

"Yeah, if that's the stabbed one."

Wolfram attempted again to raise a single eyebrow. He still couldn't do it very well. Yuuri debated telling him how silly it looked when he tried. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to know. Because, you know, he doesn't seem to care about rats. I don't want to waste their time." Arianwyn smiled beatifically and skipped away. Literally.

"Naomi needs a message carried back home on her wedding night. Who spends six hours riding around in the rain and misses the party? Not Mael. The elves are being terrorized by an ice-spewing cave monster, and do we send the one of us who's decent at maryoku after it? By that I don't mean Wolfram. Your third or fourth illegitimate kid this decade shows up, and funnily enough you've got an important meeting with the officers that I'm of course not qualified to run. Because… oh, look at the time. And this doesn't strike you as a pattern?"

Wolfram looked wickedly delighted. Yuuri decided it was time to move away a little bit. It wasn't nice to glory in other's misfortunes, even if they were both horrible and deserved it. Yuuri took Wolfram's arm and a tentative step down the hall. Wolfram looked a little disappointed, but he followed.

"Maybe they'll work it out themselves," Yuuri suggested hopefully.

"I hope not." Wolfram snorted. "It's not like Maddox is any hero. At least they'll be out of our way for a while. There's no way of knowing how long this will last."

"Oh, well." Yuuri tried not to worry about it. He couldn't force them to live in harmony. Though he wasn't letting anyone else have a duel. There was a ban for the rest of the month, at least. He'd have to tell Gunter that when next he sat down to get work done.

But Gunter didn't know where he was right now, and the situation with Murata was as settled as it'd get. They had some time. "Want to find Greta and read or something?" Yuuri had gotten to the point where he could _almost_ read out loud without too many stumbles.

"No." Wolfram's hand tightened around Yuuri's suddenly and he threw open the closest door. It turned out to be a broom closet. Yuuri was very confused for a second, and then Wolfram dragged him inside and slammed the door again. "We need to spend more time _together_."

"Oh." Yuuri flushed a little. "You know, our room is just downstairs."

"And Greta might be there." Wolfram planted his hands on the rough, wood wall on either side of Yuuri's head. "I want time with just you. Besides…" Yuuri heard a smile on his voice, which suddenly got softer. He'd been acting rather predatory (something Yuuri had found he didn't mind at all), but suddenly Wolfram was bashful. "Isn't it a little exciting?"

"Maybe." Yuuri did _not_ like the idea of being caught. And there was no lock on the door. But if he just didn't think about it… He was in the dark with Wolfram. The little shaft of light under the door didn't illuminate anything. The risk of being walked in on had no thrill for him, but feeling Wolfram kiss him without being able to see was oddly invigorating. He wrapped his arms around Wolfram's waist and kissed back. It was slow and searching, and Wolfram pressed closer as it went until Yuuri was once again pinned to the wall.

It occurred to him Wolfram was trying to prove Mael's potion wasn't responsible for any of his behavior. Either that or he'd been slipped it again. Either way, this was nice. He found himself trembling a little as Wolfram kissed his way along Yuuri's neck. Without the alcohol, it seemed, the whole thing was somehow more intense. Wolfram was deliberate, as strong and coordinated as ever. And he really was strong. Yuuri loved just being held by him. Wolfram might look wispy, but he was all lean muscle.

"Are you going to leave another dozen hickies?" They horrified Gunter so profoundly…

"Probably. Mmm." Wolfram nuzzled Yuuri's hair. "You smell good."

"Oh." He wasn't very good at taking compliments. "Thank you?"

"I can put them where no one'll see…" He sounded shy again. Yuuri felt Wolfram's fingers unfastening his collar and inhaled sharply. Wolfram stopped a moment, but when Yuuri couldn't think of anything to say, he undid just a few clasps. Enough to expose about two inches below Yuuri's collarbone.

Yuuri almost told him to stop, but he wasn't sure if he wanted that. And then Wolfram nipped at the tender curve of muscle where his neck met shoulder, and Yuuri shivered and had absolutely nothing to say. Wolfram turned out to bite hard, and Yuuri was surprised to find that it was actually quite enjoyable. He felt feverish and his knees were a little weak. Good thing he had Wolfram supporting him.

He had a sudden memory of how soft and silky Wolfram's hair was. That was something he'd been meaning to revisit. Yuuri took one arm from around his fiancé's waist and raked it through Wolfram's hair. He got a shiver and a cute little noise in return. He wondered how often he could make Wolfram make that noise. Interesting challenge. He tugged a little. Wolfram growled and nipped at his earlobe.

Had he actually just growled? Wow. Wolfram made great noises. Yuuri felt he wasn't contributing much, and twisted his head to nip at Wolfram's neck, nudging the blond's collar away with the end of his nose. He tried to mimic what Wolfram had done.

"Ow!"

"Sorry…" Yuuri blanched. He'd thought that was alright…

"Idiot. You don't just bite down like that." He sounded a bit exasperated, and Yuuri cringed. "Like this. Suck." Yuuri lost all sense of reality for a moment. Oh. Yes, he supposed that was a difference. And it hurt a little, but not in a way that he wanted to _stop_. Ever. "Got it?"

"Th-think so…" How was Wolfram staying so calm? Yuuri couldn't keep his mind focused. His knees wanted to collapse and tremors and shivers kept going through him, tossing aside any concentration he could have built. Timidly, he once against tried to mimic what Wolfram had done. Instead of a yelp, Wolfram sighed and tightened his grip on Yuuri's shoulder. So better? Yuuri's next attempt landed right at the base of Wolfram's ear and jaw, and he felt his fiancé's breath catch. He'd made Wolfram shiver! Yes!

A moment later Wolfram had him shoved against the wall again and his tongue down Yuuri's throat. He didn't approve of losing control like that, nice as it had been. Yuuri felt Wolfram's fingers toying with the next clasp down on his shirt. That didn't seem fair. Wolfram hadn't so much as loosened his own collar. Yuuri clumsily reached up, unfastening the decorative little chain, making Wolfram jump (ha!) and loosening his vain little cravat so it fluttered to the floor. Much better. Yuuri leaned in to kiss the newly exposed neck and collarbone, feeling Wolfram's arms tighten around him. Oh, this was wonderful. Wolfram's had managed to twist his head enough for another nibble at Yuuri's neck. It was almost enough to distract him from his own exploration of his lover's smooth skin.

The door was thrown wide open. "Thought you were in here. I won't tell Gungun if I can get a kiss from Wolfram!" Arianwyn beamed at them as Wolfram stood frozen like a deer in someone's headlights and Yuuri winced from the sudden onslaught of light. "Oops, too late. Okay, Gunter, I said I'd find them. Can I still have a kiss?"

Gunter had his eyes covered. Yuuri finally bought himself to move, if only enough to hold his shirt together and blush a lot. Wolfram seemed to be trying to retreat to the back of the broom closet. There was only about another foot or so of space behind him, and it was full of brooms, so he wasn't having much luck.

There was a long moment of silence. Yuuri's eyes adjusted to the light. He glanced at Wolfram, noting the brilliant red hue to his cheeks, the faint red spots on his neck, the smile that hadn't yet left his eyes. Yuuri's guess was Wolfram wasn't going to kill him for this. Good.

"Wow, Wolfram, you are _good_ at those." Arianwyn had his head tilted to the side, and Yuuri realized his own neck was the subject of amazement. "He's a real wimp compared to you. I can barely see yours."

"Arianwyn, that's hardly a fitting topic for discussion!" It was a little difficult to understand Gunter, as he was still trying to speak through the hands covering his face. "Y-Your Majesty, Maddox Von Bielefeld has requested an audience with you."

Yuuri was, for a brief moment, so annoyed he forgot to be embarrassed. "Oh, what does _he_ want?" For that he'd had to interrupt making out with Wolfram in a dark closet? He was so miffed he let his grip on his collar slip, just as Gunter dared a peek and therefore got another good look at the evidence of Wolfram's talent for marking his territory. Poor Gunter. He turned around, making a sort of keening noise as he did.

"I believe he wishes to offer fealty to Your Majesty and express disapproval for his father's and older brother's actions." His voice was admirably steady, considering the shock he'd received. Arianwyn patted his back reassuringly. Yuuri used the interval to get his shirt on properly.

"I'll go talk to him." Yuuri tried to keep a straight face. It was made a little more difficult when Wolfram opted to bolt down the hallway. Yuuri hadn't seen him run like that since the last time he'd been seasick. Well, some people didn't have to deal with running kingdoms. Lucky. "Is this supposed to be very formal? He's been living in the castle for a while, and he's going to be my brother-in-law…" No use being circumspect about that now.

"An informal meeting will no doubt be sufficient, Your Majesty." Gunter seemed to be recovering. At least he was turning around and looking out carefully from between his fingers. His face was still as pink as Wolfram's had been, though. "Though a fealty oath should properly be made with a few witnesses."

"We can grab whoever happens to be around, then. It's just about dinner time, so I'll pick up Conrad and Gwendal and right after we eat he can swear all the fealty he wants." Yuuri smiled, trying to restore a hint of normality to the situation. Gunter seemed to be trying bravely. He nodded and started downstairs, keeping pace with the maou.

The dining room was reaching its capacity. Maddox was sitting on the opposite end of the table from Mael, glowering. He had been given a chair brought from the kitchen, and it was rather shorter than the rest, reducing the effectiveness of his glowering quite a bit. Another kitchen chair had had a box set on it so Chai could reach the table. He was sitting happily between Conrad and Josak, bouncing slightly. Greta was bouncing too. Yuuri wasn't sure if there was a contest underway or just a lot of child-energy feeding off itself.

But there seemed to be an interesting dynamic afoot. Yuuri paused for a moment. Mael wasn't looking at his twin. Well, he couldn't be blamed for that. From what it had sounded like, he'd been put pretty well in his place, and might have just lost an ally in his and Lord Evert's various machinations. He also was refusing to look at Conrad. Or maybe Josak. Chai? They took up most of a side of the table, though. Mael's head was at a very awkward angle, and he seemed to have settled on merely staring balefully at the tablecloth. He was going to have a crick in his neck.

Conrad's expression seemed to be black more often than not lately. Yuuri wasn't surprised to see that nasty glint in his eye, though it dimmed and Conrad smiled as he sat down. "Did you lose Wolfram?"

"Um… I think he…" Yuuri blanked. He meant to lie, but no lie presented itself. "Busy." He forgot to even connect the word to anything grammatically. Alright, next time they didn't use a closet. Or they used Yuuri's closet, at least. The close darkness had actually been rather nice.

"I… see." Conrad looked close to laughing. "Official business, is it?"

"Yes." Yuuri caught himself blushing. He wished Wolfram would turn up. Except that there'd be a telltale smear of red right below his ear. Yuuri hoped his fiancé had told the truth about aiming below Yuuri's collar… Otherwise Conrad was entirely too justified in his snickering.

"Your Majesty?" Maddox's voice was welcome, for once. Conrad was very good at teasing, and it had looked like Josak might join in. "If it's alright with you we might as well speak now."

"Sure, if you want to." Yuur'd rather not have to use the throne room anyway. It always felt kind of stuffy. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Mostly I'd like to offer my services and loyalty in a general and appropriate fashion for a subject." He wiped his mouth rather primly with the napkin. "Only I want to reiterate it's the maou and not my estimable father."

"Maddox!"

"Shut up, Mael. Or are you going to contradict me in front of, oh, the ruler of the whole country and most of his most powerful advisors. The only one missing is the prince consort to be." On cue, Wolfram stepped into the room. His collar was tighter than usual, but Yuuri could still see… Oops.

He forced himself to focus on the rather pleasant happenstance before him. "That's good." Of course, it was also quite reasonable to expect that. But Yuuri liked new friends. And this was good for Wolfram, too. Not that he was ready to embrace Maddox into his inner circle. Yuuri was trusting, and naïve, and maybe outright stupid, but he wasn't insane.

"Gracious of you. As long as I'm not tarred with the same brush as those two, I'm happy." He sighed and took a long swig of wine. "Also, I've been overhearing a lot of talk about the situation with that assassin and the Daikenja."

"Oh." Yuuri waited, hoping he had a point.

"He comes from that human temple that's obsessed with the Tears of El, right?" He propped his chin on his hand, looking tired. "I don't know whether it's worth looking into, but the plants grow right around the border between Bielefeld and Voltaire lands."

Both Gwendal and Wolfram stared at him. Maddox shrugged, then winced. His wounded ribs seemed not to like shrugging. "I was visiting Alapai." Both the brothers nodded, so Yuuri decided not to ask who or what Alapai was. He'd feel stupid. "The stuff grows best where it's cold and dry. So no wonder no one stumbles across it much. And it's a low little plant. I'd never noticed, but it was windy and I asked about the smell."

"I guess it might be worth investigating. Thanks!" If nothing else they'd have a sample of the poison for Anissina to apply mad science to until there was a better cure than bear bee wing scales and enormous expenditures of power. Yuuri looked over to Gunter. "Does it sound useful?"

"I couldn't say. A messenger should be sent to the temple tomorrow to see what Ulrike and Daikenja have to say." Gunter managed a mannerly nod. He struck Yuuri as a bit cold. He might still be in shock, or maybe Maddox just looked, sounded, and acted too much like Mael for anyone's comfort. It struck Yuuri that it might sort of doom a person to have a twin as nasty as Mael. People would think of you as interchangeable, and you wouldn't profit any from being nice.

Yuuri was turning to thank Maddox a little more warmly, with that in mind, when they were interrupted by a scream. Oh. Friend Rat had hopped onto the table. He dropped a note on Yuuri's plate and ran across to Chai, who immediately picked the rat up to cuddle.

Maddox snorted into his wine as Mael balefully forced himself to sit back down. "Get it away from the table…"

"No. He's my friend. And you're mean." Chai stuck his tongue out defiantly.

"Mean, am I? Get the little rodent away from the table or I might just have to collapse a house on it _and_ you and finish the job."

Yuuri didn't exactly see what happened. There was kind of a blur. Then Chai was crying and Mael was smashed against the wall with Josak's hands around his throat. Tightening. Rapidly. Yuuri didn't doubt it was as justified as violence ever was, but Mael's eyes were quickly rolling into the back of his head. Hands as strong as Josak's could probably do that work quickly.

Yuuri stood up. "Let him go!"

"Not this time." Yuuri had never seen Josak look like that. His wasn't a face built for anger. So when he took on a mien of absolute fury, the effect was a bit horrifying.

"Josak, let him go!" There was a hot prickling behind his eyes. Either he was going to start crying out of frustration (Mael sort of just oozed frustration for bystanders, Yuuri had found), or the Maou was waking up. That would be bad. Josak was a good friend. Mael was definitely not. Yuuri would still rather not hurt either of them, and he wasn't even sure which the Maou would go after.

"Josak, this isn't the time." Conrad set his hand firmly on his friend's should. Two heartbeats passed. Josak let go and let Mael crumple, gasping, and whirled around. Chai was still crying. Josak picked him up and marched out of the room.

Yuuri covered his face in his hands for a few seconds, then looked up again. He was so tired of this. Even Conrad and Josak weren't being honest with him at this point. All he wanted was to be friends with everyone and save the world from itself, and Mael and his plans had to get in the way, and everything he touched seemed to turn sour.

He was still the maou and responsible for his subjects. "I guess Giesela should look at him."

"It'll just have bruised a bit," Maddox waved a disdainful hand. "He might not be able to scream as ungodly loud. Give us all a break."

Mael made a rude gesture and managed to mouth what looked like "Fuck you," but he clearly wasn't up to talking. Actually, that _was_ a pleasant respite.

"Conrad…" Yuuri just wanted to be let back into the loop. "Can you please tell me what this is about?"

"I should have before." Conrad nodded and stood. "We should speak alone."

"Sure." Anything to get it out of him. Wolfram looked like he was going to protest. Yuuri gave him a pleading look, and he sat back down next to Greta, looking sulky. Yuuri followed Conrad to the room where he'd failed to learn a card game and not managed to save Maddox from being impaled.

"I could tell you'd noticed my own and Josak's animosity to Mael Bielefeld from the beginning, and his reciprocated." Conrad sat, looking grave. "I should have explained the situation, but it's a grim one, and Josak finds it a very sensitive point."

"Fine. Just tell me now, okay?"

"Mael is responsible for the death of Chai's father and the child's injuries." There was a long pause. Yuuri winced so hard he almost fell off the chair. He'd begun to suspect something like that, but… "Even if it had been more deliberate, there'd have been no hope of a legal case. This was before your influence began to take root in Shin Makoku. A peasant woman's human husband just happened to be lost. Tragic accident. And if anything, people cared less for the mangled little boy."

"They hate half-Mazoku even more." Yuuri sighed. "What happened?"

"The war ended twenty years ago, but hostilities continued up until… Well, as you've seen, in many ways, they're still in place. Bielefeld lands are fairly near human territory, and took a lot of the brunt of the sort of skirmishes and sabotage that resulted from lingering resentment. When Chai was about six, a human spy was caught collecting information on the fortifications and preparedness of the Bielefeld manor. She then proceeded to slip right out under Mael's nose."

"I can guess how he'd react to that."

"I believe it was somehow considered Wolfram's fault. Wolfram was staying at Gwendal's castle at the time. In any case, he managed to wake up the entire neighboring village pulling the place apart in search of the spy, who was eventually spotted running into the Gurrier house. Hindelle was serving in the city garrison, and the soldiery was perfectly prepared to fight their way inside or to negotiate however necessary to extract the spy and save her husband and son, of course, but rather than trouble himself with such involved tactics, Mael opted to just set fire to the house."

"What?" Yuuri almost dislocated his jaw, it dropped so hard.

"The spy was killed when the house fell in, and Mael considered that justification. Roderick managed to nearly get Chai outside, but he succumbed to the smoke and a falling beam severed Chai's spinal cord before Hindelle could be fetched. Had it not been for a healer who lived in the next house…" Conrad closed his eyes a moment.

"He really just has no regard for any human's life…" Yuuri swallowed. He wasn't even angry or sad at this point, just stunned. "Even a half human."

"He has very little for any life but his own. I'm sure the plan that endangered Maddox started with him, even if Evert would have agreed." Conrad stood again. "But particularly humans, yes. Josak's family in Shin Makoku, once he tracked them down, wasn't particularly welcoming. Hindelle was the only one of them who didn't object to his being half human. For obvious reasons perhaps, but it meant a great deal to him. He doted on Chai as his own son even before Roderick died."

"And you?" Conrad looked at least ass sad and angry as Josak, even if he hadn't been strangling people.

"I was also quite fond of the family, though I only met Roderick once. Usually I only saw Chai. Josak's watched him for his mother many times. And I have more experience with children than he." Conrad smiled what was almost his own smile for a moment. "I'd better go and find Josak. When he does lose his temper, it can be rather frightening."

"I noticed…" Yuuri sighed. "Okay. Tell him… I said I'm sorry."

Conrad smiled. "I'm sure he knows. But as you wish. And if Greta and Chai could have a playdate tomorrow, all for the better."

Tomorrow came cold and rainy to match Yuuri's mood. He'd spent the rest of the night in something of a daze. Wolfram was mildly miffed with him for being unresponsive to cuddling. He'd tried, but his heart hadn't been in it. And he had nightmares about fire and screams. Mael and the mysterious, malignant power of El's temple seemed to have a lot in common.

When he came down for breakfast, having not slept well and looking worn out enough that Wolfram wasn't nagging too much, he found Murata at the table, deeply in conversation with Maddox. Mael was nowhere to be seen, and Chai was sitting on Josak's lap eating a grapefruit the side of his head.

Always darkest before the dawn, wasn't it?

Yuuri sat on Ken's other side. "So does this stuff about the plants sound promising?"

"Well, herbal energy is intrinsically linked to the psychic vibrations in both time and space. Magically potent herbs are often directly created and almost always at least correlated with a specific signature power or energy. What's pertinacious in this case is whether the same patterns creating the radiant misfortune surrounding the Temple of El are also correlated to the presence of the plant. The poison, according to record, is chemical and not magical in nature, and therefore could be wholly coincidental. However, that there's no connection whatsoever is improbable, risk is limited, and alternative explanations are definitely wanting."

Yuuri took a moment, determined that he had, in fact, understood one word in five, and blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"Um…" Murata managed a bland smile and spoke slowly. "Might be connected. Couldn't hurt to look. We don't have any better ideas."

"Okay. I'll get on organizing that immediately, then." They couldn't object to him going somewhere in his own kingdom. "It's on the border between Bielefeld and Voltaire, then?"

"Right up in the mountains. Better make sure you're properly outfitted. It's cold up there. Wait a few days and I can come along. And you should probably bring Wolfram, too. He used to love expeditions up there. And the elves like him." Maddox managed to make a long swig from his glass of orange juice look badass. He had just as much poise as his twin, if applied rather differently.

"Most people do." Yuuri tried not to snicker, envisioning Wolfram hanging around a bunch of tiny pixie-like creatures. "Anyway, that shouldn't be hard to put together. It's probably not a very long trip, right?"

"It's a trek. We're one of the outer territories, and getting up in the mountains can take a few days all by itself. Horses have to be bred for it to be reliable up in the hills, and the ones specially trained for it are rare and pricey. Even Father only has a couple."

Yuuri doubted much of anyone _but_ Evert had money to spare in that territory. He really had to start saving the world domestically as well as internationally.

"Alright, so there will be logistic concerns. Even Gunter can't make difficulties about me going to visit some subjects."

"Ahem." Yuuri felt a familiar couple of fingers on his ear. The way Wolfram was going, he'd just have a permanent bruise there. "As you're apparently debating a visit to my family's holding _without_ your fiancé's input, it's no surprise you're foolish enough not to see the opportunity open to you."

"Could you explain it to me?" He tried to smile ingratiatingly. …It was sort of hard to be ingratiating to Wolfram.

"You idiot. You'd be within a day's travel of my family's home! Little as I'm fond of any of them, a visit is in order. It's something you ought to do anyway. In fact, it's well overdue. We've been engaged for over a year."

"Oh. That makes sense, I guess. Though I've already met your father. And given how I just banished him…" That seemed easily the most awkward way to visit his fiancé's family he could think of.

"That's a problem. But you haven't met my stepmother. And you should. Besides, while we're there, I can… try and arrange my dowry…"

There was a long silence, abruptly broken by a poorly stifled snicker from Maddox. Wolfram glared at him. Yuuri coughed and blushed. "I… you don't need a dowry, Wolfram, it's—"

"You would say that! You're so uncouth. Would you like me to appear a beggar at my own wedding!" His eyes had a hint of that spark Yuuri had learned to be terrified of. "Either you have no regard for my reputation or your own or you've been more than usually derelict about learning your etiquette!"

"The second one, I guess." Not that reputations really concerned him much. But Wolfram was perfectly entitled to one if he wanted.

"Hmph. We'll be addressing that. I'll speak to Gunter and have a lesson planned for you on, oh, I don't know, common decency? But that leaves the problem of how you're going to visit while my father's still smarting from the banishment."

"Especially given his tendency to draw a sword on people he doesn't like. I guess we could bring Raven along."

"Sir Raven. Honestly. You can't even keep the titles you grant in mind. I have _just about_ given up on you."

Wolfram was really annoyed about his fiancé's lack of enthusiasm for snuggling the night before. Or maybe for the deep wine color the expanding blotch below his ear had reached. Even Gwendal had snickered at it. Yuuri was grasping for an answer that wouldn't get him snapped at again when he smelled orchid and heard jewelry clanking against itself. "Oh, Your Majesty!" Celi somehow dropped into three seats at the same time, lounging majestically. "Did you get your message?"

"What message?"

"I gave it to one of Josak's rats, since I was busy having my hair done. Did that naughty rat not bring it to you?" She pouted a bit.

"Oh, I completely forgot." Friend Rat had given him a note. Between Mael's wickedness and Josak's retaliation he'd completely forgotten. And left it on his plate. It had probably been thrown away by now. "Er, what did it say?"

"Not very much, I suppose. Would have been easy to read through quickly." For a moment, she looked a lot more like Wolfram. "Evert sent a messenger back behind him. In hopes of making amends to Your Majesty, he would like to present an invitation to visit the Bielefeld Manor and surrounding lands."

**Author's Note:** _Happy Valentine's/League of Women voters day to all. Ha, I just made it. Unless you're in Europe somewhere. Ooh, does anyone in Europe read this? That'd be cool. I opted against having it actually be Valentine's Day in the story because, frankly, that would be silly. And I don't actually care for the holiday. I don't like chocolate. But since I had such a ridiculous Wolfi scene (in a closet, no less!) I figured V-day would be good for its release. So… Hope you enjoyed!_


	8. Where the Heart Isn't

Somehow, Yuuri didn't envision this as the sort of place Wolfram had come from. He supposed a lot of his fiancé's childhood must have been spent in Spitzberg country or in Covenant Castle with his mother, and maybe that explained some of it. The land was very harsh and cold, most of the vegetation low and twisted. (Yuuri had to borrow a shawl Gunter had in his bag to stay warm, and the wind was sharp enough that he didn't object to the fact that the shawl was lacy and a pale lavender shade.) Sure, Wolfram could be harsh and cold, too, but there was a pervasive lifelessness about the countryside that was in sharp contrast to Wolfram's fiery energy. He didn't belong here.

And maybe that, as much as the prospect of facing his father, was what had him looking so very muted. Wolfram's eyes were on the ground about ten feet in front of him. His hair was a windblown mess and he seemed not to notice, let alone care. The spark that usually danced behind his eyes was almost gone.

Yuuri drew Ao up beside Wolfram's horse. "So what do you think?" An inanity to be sure, but anything if it'd get Wolfram to buck up a little.

"It's either an outright trap or some elaborate scheme to gain control of you or the treasury. I haven't spoken to him in so long I don't know if he's after pure financial gain or he feels like influencing policy across the board." Wolfram glanced at Yuuri and his lips formed a smile his eyes didn't echo. He looked tired. Not sleepy, just incredibly put upon, like all his vigor had been sapped away by some demand or other. "We probably shouldn't have come."

"Well, if Maddox is right about the Tears of El growing near here, then at least the trip won't be wasted." Yuuri tried to smile, but Wolfram's black mood was contagious. "…Do you think that's true?"

"He wouldn't have brought the elves into it if it weren't. Risky. Even as small a number as live in the area can cause a lot of trouble if you displease them, and they don't care much for… Well, for anyone else. They don't even differentiate between human and mazoku. If it weren't for Alapai, even visiting them would be dangerous." Wolfram glanced over his shoulder. There wasn't much to glance at. Gunter was behind them, buried in his collar up to his nose against the wind. Conrad rode in front. Maddox was beside him, but at a distance. Between the cold and a vague worry of those bandits that had been troubling the countryside, no one was paying Wolfram or Yuuri much mind.

Wolfram let go of his horse's reigns for a moment to reach across and stroke the back of Yuuri's hand. "I don't think he'd dare hurt you, and you're well aware we're all ready to fight to the death to protect your royal, wimpy self."

"I'm not the one I'm worried about, Wolfram." Yuuri had seen what Mael did to Wolfram with almost no effort. He was a monster. At least he'd been left behind for Lady Celi and Gwendal to manage at the castle, but he'd learned from his father. And at home, how much easier would it be to reduce Wolfram to tears?

"Hmph!" Wolfram rolled his eyes derisively. "How thin-skinned do you think I am?"

_How many times have they made you cry?_ Yuuri bit his tongue. Wolfram still considered any sort of weakness anathema. And he was pretty rigid about what constituted weakness. "Well, what about Maddox? Your father will hardly be happy that he's decided to side with us."

"I really couldn't care less. You seem to want to think Maddox is some sort of saint. He may not be quite as reprehensible a person as Mael, but he's still a bastard. Besides, I'm not at all convinced this whole thing about switching side isn't one of their plans." Wolfram was clearly refusing to be cheered up. Yuuri didn't blame him.

They rounded a bend in the road around a towering, odd rock formation. Yuuri blinked as the manor came into view. It was certainly… Ostentatious. It looked nearly as big as the castle. The walls surrounding the place were massive, made of marble that clearly bore no relation to the stone they were riding over. It must have been brought from quite a distance. The house rose high above the walls, a rambling, bloated structure that seemed to have grown organically, for how else could it have achieved that level of rampant expansion? There were columns and arches all over the place, and Yuuri could tell even at this distance it was all ornately carved. He knew those who lived in castles shouldn't critique architecture, but this was way over the top. A small village seemed to huddle up to the walls. The houses were shabby and the people didn't look happy as the maou and his entourage rode past.

Yuuri wondered where Hindelle's house had once stood.

A man he recognized from Evert's retinue was at the gates, which were as tall as three of Yuuri and painted in bright blue and gold. Upon seeing the travelers, he had to shout at the top of his lungs to get two more guards to turn a couple of cranks and actually get the doors open. Yuuri tried to say hello to them, and they just bowed.

The grounds inside the walls were strikingly beautiful, and suddenly Yuuri could see just a hint of Wolfram in the world again. Of course, the statuary and gardens were more obscene displays of wealth that could have been used to help the impoverished town outside. Yuuri disapproved, but he couldn't ignore the aesthetic effect. The statues were lovely, and the assorted flora well-chosen and beautifully laid out. It was still all scrubby, small plants, but pretty ones which complemented each other.

"It's very pretty here," Yuuri said, a bit blandly, impressed despite himself. Wolfram sniffed.

"There are a thousand criticisms my father deserves, but no one would dare say he's not a man of taste." Wolfram was sitting rigidly, and abruptly winced. "I believe our welcoming committee is here."

Yuuri followed Wolfram's gaze and jumped, almost tipping off his horse. There was a woman in a flowing silvery coat approaching them. She was petite and slim. Her hair was the color of sun-ripened wheat and curled down her back delicately. Her eyes were wide, a clear, spicy hazel.

She could have easily impersonated Lady Celi, but was an absolute dead-ringer for Wolfram.

Maddox jumped down off his horse. "Naomi."

"Maddox, I wish you'd call me Mother." She didn't look any older than Maddox. But then, given her close resemblance to Wolfram's mother, Yuuri decided he'd best not judge. "Wolfram, dear, hop down. Your father's waiting for you." She even sounded like Wolfram. An octave higher and a little less burr to the voice. But Yuuri hadn't heard her yell yet.

"Naomi, this is Shibuya Yuuri, the twenty-seventh Maou of Shin Makoku." Wolfram seemed in no hurry to get off the horse. "My fiancé. Yuuri, this is my stepmother, Lady Naomi Von Bielefeld."

Yuuri should have been surprised, but he wasn't. He dismounted and exchanged pleasantries, holding his arms out for Wolfram to use him if he needed help getting down. It was cold, and they'd been riding for hours. His legs might have gone a little stiff.

Interestingly, no pride flared. Wolfram accepted Yuuri's hand down with a slight smile. Conrad was talking to the groom about stabling. Gunter looked frozen. Yuuri guessed being as tall and thin as that meant it was hard to retain any heat.

Naomi proved a master of smalltalk, and chattered charmingly as they followed her into the house. Yuuri felt no compulsion to listen, walking beside Wolfram with his hand tightly around his fiancé's. When Maddox and Gunter were between her and Yuuri, the maou whispered to Wolfram, "A man of consistent tastes too, huh?"

"We're almost… ah, there." Wolfram pointed through an arch that led to a large room full of pictures and other artworks. Most prominent was a row of large portraits of lovely, blonde women, one of which was Lady Celi. She was the tallest and most buxom. The others brought Wolfram to mind more than his mother. "Mother was number three. He collects them. Eventually they generally decide he's not worth the money or he gets tired of them."

Yuuri shivered suddenly. They really did all look like Wolfram. "…Are you safe around him?"

Wolfram stared at him, stopping dead for a moment. He went a bit red, then bone white. "Yuuri… that's horrible." He wasn't angry or scandalized or any of his usual responses. He seemed more shocked than anything.

"I know. I just—"

"Don't say anything like that again." Wolfram looked like he'd really rather not think about it. Yuuri didn't blame him. He felt bad already for bringing it up. Yuuri glanced around for a change of subject and his eyes fell on Gunter, who still had his arms wrapped around himself and looked a bit pale.

The maou smiled at his retainer. "Are you alright, Gunter?" Wolfram made his usual scornful noise at Yuuri's rather awkward segue, but at least he didn't look horrified anymore.

"Kind of you to ask, Your Majesty. I simply don't do very well with cold temperatures. Once I warm up I'll be fine." He sneezed, a comically high pitched noise, and Yuuri felt a bit cheered.

They entered a large hall that looked pretty much exactly like a throne room. Just in case anyone suspected Lord Von Bielefeld of a deficit of arrogance, he supposed. Evert was sitting in the massive chair, a gothic looking structure of dark wood and gold leaf. He stood and bowed majestically, as Naomi walked to stand beside him, looking radiant and empty-headed and very decorative.

"Your Majesty. I'm glad to see you've accepted my invitation." He walked down the few steps up to his ugly chair and bowed again. Feeling very servile for a guy who'd been caught in conspiracy and attempted murder, wasn't he?

"Yes, well, I'm glad to be here." He was going to try and be nice. Everyone deserved a second chance, and enemies had become allies before.

Unfortunately, not everyone was so open minded. Yuuri blushed a moment at the dead silence behind him, then turned to check. Wolfram was staring at the floor, his stance that of a five-year-old receiving a lecture, hands behind his back, toe trailing random patterns on the floor. Maddox was just scowling and looking toward the door. Conrad nodded icily. Gunter sneezed.

And he'd been so excited to come on a diplomatic mission with His Majesty. Gwendal had declared he didn't trust himself to be civil to Evert, but an extra sword had been judged appropriate while a full contingent of guards would have been threatening and attracted attention. Yuuri hoped Gunter wasn't going to have a cold the whole time.

Yuuri shook his head, trying to focus. If no one was willing to help, he really had no choice but to stick it out on his own.

"I have entertainment planned for the evening, but you're here a little earlier than I expected. The roads must have been doing better." Evert smiled ingratiatingly. "In the meantime, I'll have you shown to your rooms." He clapped his hands and four servants appeared. "Maddox, I assume you know where you sleep."

"Yes, and I can also check the bed for knives all on my own. I'm independent that way.' He stormed off theatrically, and Yuuri was almost completely sure the emotion wasn't feigned. One reclaimed for the powers of goodness, two to go. Hopefully.

"Aren't our rooms near each other?" Yuuri would really rather have Conrad and Gunter within easy distance should any sort of trouble arise. And Wolfram could sneak into bed with him much more easily. Yuuri had a sense he _and_ Wolfram would rather spend this night cuddling.

"The same floor, but won't you need help with luggage?" Evert raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Not really. We're all carrying our own bags."

"I had forgotten how utilitarian your tastes are, Your Majesty." Condescending, but Yuuri wasn't quite sure how. A regal hand wave and all but one of the servants dispersed. Somehow, it didn't seem to Yuuri that people should be _that_ well trained. "Well, settle in. A gong will ring when dinner is served."

The woman who led them up the stairs was small and very timid. When Yuuri asked her name, it took half a minute to answer. He felt sorry for her, but it was rather easy to talk her into letting them have rooms all together instead of randomly spread out on the third floor amid empty guest rooms. Wolfram gave the orders, and she was clearly conditioned to listen to any member of the family, even the one they all picked on.

Yuuri followed Wolfram into the room that was apparently officially his, though he hadn't visited in an eternity. The maou was curious. Like everything else about the place, it really didn't suit Wolfram at all. The walls were made of dark wood panels carved with arches. There were windows, but they were tall and the glass was frosted. No light and no life. Yuuri hugged Wolfram from behind, figuring he might need it.

He jumped. "Why did you follow me?"

"I'd rather spend a little time with you than sit around in my own room. I don't have much to unpack." It seemed a safe answer, even as cranky as Wolfram was.

"I suppose." He set his bag down on the bed. "You shouldn't let him speak to you like that." He pulled out a dark gray coat with darker gray lining. Yuuri recognized it as his coat from that disastrous party while Wolfram was recovering.

"It doesn't matter what he says to _me_." Yuuri didn't like this. Wolfram would normally have chewed anyone to pieces who displeased him. "Isn't that pretty formal for a visit to your family?"

"Not for one of Father's banquets. He's quite a one for etiquette. I'm sure you'll find your state clothes in your bag as well. Gwendal arranged the packing." Yuuri made a face. He'd carried that stupid rock and carpet across half the country? And what about warm clothes? They were going up in the mountains. Wolfram chose not to notice his expression, pulling out shined boots and the pants that accompanied the jacket. Yuuri didn't object to that, certainly. The outfit was lovely on him. And the dark gray marked him as the maou's consort. Ha. Take that, Evert.

Yuuri was about to speak again when Wolfram pulled a small, stuffed fox with black ears from the bag and blinked repeatedly. Yuuri bit back a snicker. "Ah. Perilous Sly came along?"

"Gwendal must have packed him. …It." Wolfram tried to look dignified, but he obviously didn't want to put the toy down. "If Maddox or Father sees me with this I'll never hear the end of it."

"But you're so cute together." Yuuri grinned and stepped in front of Wolfram, covering each of his fiancé's hands with his own and lifting them so Perilous Sly was held to Wolfram's cheek. "And he and I will take care of you tonight, okay?"

Wolfram stared at him for a moment, then pulled Yuuri into such a tight hug it was a bit of a challenge to breathe. "Like… like I need a wimp like _you_ looking out for me." His face was buried in Yuuri's collar. He sounded like he might be crying. Yuuri hugged him back for a few minutes, and then Wolfram straightened.

"You'd better go and unpack." His eyes were just a little shinier than usual. "Go on. Perilous Sly and I will be fine." Now _he_ seemed to be teasing _Yuuri_. Ah, how easily the tables turned. Yuuri smiled and shrugged. He turned to go, feeling a little better, and Wolfram grabbed his arm and dragged him back for a very long, very hard, very deep kiss. When Wolfram let go, Yuuri was gasping for air.

"Breathe through your nose, simpleton." Wolfram smirked a little and turned to the wardrobe. "Now go get settled in. You can come back and bother me later."

"Well… I will then." Yuuri wasn't sure what had just happened, but Wolfram looked much happier. So why complain?

He _did_ have his royal accoutrements in the backpack. Dark giant gemstone. There was also a warm coat and a hat with bear ears, so Gwendal wasn't really leaving him to freeze in the mountains for the sake of an appearance. Yuuri still felt justified in griping, though. Before he could head back to Wolfram's room, though, there was a knock on his door and Conrad stuck his head inside.

"Yuuri, we've maneuvered so my room is next to yours and Gunter's is across the hall." He sighed and closed the door behind him. "So make sure Wolfram comes in here tonight."

"I'm pretty sure he would have anyway." Though Yuuri's been thinking of spending the night in Wolfram's room. It wasn't exactly friendly, but more so than the one Yuuri was stuck in. "So you're expecting the worst, huh?"

"It's our job. Hopefully the night will be perfectly uneventful." Conrad shrugged. "I've never been able to tell what that man was thinking. Not that I ever saw a lot of him. Even when Wolfram was very young he was mostly left with Mother and me."

"I'm not letting him pick on Wolfram." Yuuri scowled. "It's unforgivable! He's already miserable. I'm willing to let bygones be bygones, but not if he keeps picking on my…" He froze. Yuuri was still oddly embarrassed by the situation, even knowing Conrad was perfectly well aware of it.

Conrad smiled softly. "If anyone can manage that, it's you." A loud gong sounded and he winced. "Better hurry and dress for dinner."

That was fairly easy for Yuuri. He just had to put on his dumb looking shoulder carpet and giant rock. And there was a thin circlet in the bag. Well, if there was anywhere he might actually want to throw around his authority as maou… He put the silver coronet on and stepped outside. Right into Wolfram.

He righted himself quickly, mainly by shoving Yuuri backward to recover his center of gravity. "Ouch. Can you watch where you're going?"

Yuuri tried to answer, but his jaw was busy dropping. Wolfram was… resplendent. Last time he'd seen Wolfram all dressed up, he had still been in denial about his love for the fiery blonde, and he'd been flustered the night of the party anyway. The silver-gray silky cloth of his coat was tight down to the waist and then flowed halfway down his thighs. The pants were a bit tight. Yuuri had never noticed Wolfram's legs for a reason other than injury before, but he had a sense he was going to spend most of the night noticing them in a very thorough fashion. With Giesela's masterful healing and Wolfram's life of strict training, they were back to normal and very… well formed. And he had those boots Yuuri suspected were Lady Celi's again. The ones with the heels. They brought him up to almost half a head taller than Yuuri. Lucky the maou had no pride to speak of.

"Yuuri?" Wolfram snapped his fingers an inch from Yuuri's nose. "We're going to be late. What are you gawking at?"

"You…" Yuuri said faintly. He was so obviously sincere Wolfram was a little taken aback, and blushed as he extended an arm. Yuuri hooked his around it and with a shared smile, they walked downstairs. He felt Evert's and Naomi's and even Maddox's eyes on them. Yuuri pulled a chair out for Wolfram, who was so surprised by this sudden acquisition of manners it took him a moment to remember to sit down. Still, Yuuri thought the effect was good.

Conrad was already seated. He didn't seem to have made any concession to fashion. Whether this was because he hadn't brought anything or because he was perfectly willing to defy Gwendal and Evert's expectations was hard to guess. Gunter had his hair tied back with a shiny gold ribbon and had on an ivory bracelet. Yuuri would have felt rather overdressed if Evert and Naomi hadn't been wearing matching cloth of gold.

As Yuuri slid into his seat and Evert babbled a long welcome, the maou leaned over to Wolfram. "How old is your stepmother?"

"Two years younger than I am," Wolfram answered at the bottom of his voice, repressing a scowl. "Why?"

"I… I thought something like that. I guess I just felt sorry for her."

"Don't. She chose it." Wolfram sniffed. His father was done being superciliously verbose now, so whispered conversation was harder to hide.

Yuuri couldn't suppress a little bit of gaping at the meal that was set before them. There had been many a sumptuous feast at the castle, but this looked ready to surpass them all—for the _seven_ people at the table! There was a massive roast with a glaze that almost glowed in the light from the enormous fireplace. Rolls and pastries were in half a dozen baskets randomly placed among fruit, relishes, salads, some sort of fish that smelled delicious… Yuuri's mouth was watering. A quiet man in a tidy suit poured him a glass of something red and fizzy and delicious. He reminded himself not to let his guard down and dug in.

As the meal began, while no one could resist the food, the atmosphere was rigid and rather hostile. Evert made conversation, but every reply he received was curt from Conrad, chilly politeness from Gunter, grunted from Maddox, earnestly nervous from Yuuri, and nonexistent from Wolfram. There were a few musicians playing lovely stringed instruments. _Parting at Morning_. That was the song Yuuri and Wolfram had first danced together to.

He smiled at his fiancé and got a smile in return, albeit a shy one. Yuuri felt Wolfram relax. The blond felt everything so intensely that his emotions radiated in a roughly meter-wide radius. He took a sip from his fizzy stuff and Wolfram picked up the same glass. Yuuri's have called him on being the damn-dirty drink stealer he was, but it was a tiny sip, and he mouthed "indirect kiss" as he set the glass down.

Wolfram felt better, if not at ease, and that was enough to make Yuuri feel… almost competent. Or maybe that was the contents of the punch he was downing very quickly. It was delicious and he didn't really think twice about it. "You have any concrete ideas for mending broken bridges, Lord Bielefeld?" He didn't think that was exactly the right form of address. Yuuri couldn't make himself care about titles, and it was hard to keep them in mind as a result. "There's definitely a lot of bad blood left behind."

"I let my baser instincts get the best of me," Evert said, smiling blandly. "I don't intend to do so again. We all have enemies who get under our skin as no one else does."

"Yuuri doesn't," Wolfram said to the table. Maybe he was talking directly into his roast beast, but at least he was speaking. Yuuri smiled at him.

Evert coughed, looking a bit surprised. Hadn't expected Wolfram to dare grow a spine, hmm? Yuuri tried not to think that way. He'd cracked tougher shells than His Lordship's. "It's my policy to not… not trust people." That could have been said in a much more impressive fashion.

Fortunately, Gunter picked it up for him. Gunter looked slightly pink in the cheeks, and for the first time Yuuri wondered what was in the punch. "His Majesty's gentle benignity has already transformed the world as all of Shin Makoku and the human nations understood it!" His voice rose in pitch at the end and the speech culminated in what sounded suspiciously like a hiccough. Evert smirked a bit, and Yuuri once more had to talk himself out of being angry.

So Gunter was a bit of a lightweight. That'd be easy enough to guess by looking at him. And, alright, it was a little bit amusing. But Evert didn't need to look that derisive. "So are you just relying on your strength of character and upstanding nature to win your way back into favor?" As close to sarcasm as Yuuri was really capable of getting. Wolfram looked startled. Conrad grinned into his glass.

Ah. Conrad was drinking water. Sensible of him. At least they had one person still being reasonable.

Yuuri wasn't sure if he'd done good, bad, or nothing in being a bit snippy. Evert seemed like the sort who might respect a show of impudence and guts, but he might also feel more inclined to punishing said show. As the evening wore on, he tried a few different tactics. He was polite, warm, obliquely threatening, and snippy again by turns. He even gave imperious a try, but he wasn't very good at it. Lord Bielefeld remained bland and polite and willing to listen, but Yuuri found reading him to be pretty easy. He'd gotten used to Mael and Maddox, and both of them took a lot of their mannerisms from their father. There were even a few echoes of Wolfram, in haughty, condescending sorts of ways.

Yuuri didn't really see any real remorse. He looked very hard, too. He hated bad liars. (Though in the case of Lord Bielefeld, it was more that he lied the same way his sons did and Yuuri had gotten much too used to that.) They made his policy of universal trust impossible to be faithful to. He could trust Evert to be a self-righteous, selfish, scheming jerk, but that wasn't really his policy in anything but letter. The spirit of the law was always the important part, as far as Yuuri was concerned.

Dinner broke up. The musicians left, timid servants cleared the plates, Gunter stumbled to bed looking a little ill. He muttered something about rich food. Yuuri decided to just pretend to believe him. Conrad walked Yuuri and Wolfram upstairs and left them at the doors to their rooms.

"Wolfram, are you…?" Yuuri felt oddly self-conscious of _asking_ him to stay the night.

"I'll be there." Wolfram sighed. "But in a few minutes. If I don't fold up my formal things very carefully, Gwendal…" He looked up and twisted his face into a ludicrously severe, frightening scowl. "He'll do that."

"I guess I'd better, too…" Yuuri winced. "Alright. See you then." He walked into his room, but found it didn't really occupy much time to take the carpet off his shoulder and wrap it around the oversized red rock. He'd asked Gunter. Apparently it was a massive garnet, not gem quality but sturdy enough to cut. So he really was just wearing a big rock. Bleh.

The door opened and he heard light footsteps behind him. Yuuri smiled, impressed that Wolfram had been able to get out of the elaborate buttons on his coat and get it packed according to Gwendal's standards so quickly. He turned and immediately reached for the pretty blonde for a kiss. Then stopped dead.

Hazel. Those were hazel eyes, not green. Yuuri dropped his hands rigidly. "Lady Bielefeld… I… didn't hear you… knock." What? What the hell? She was smiling at him in what suddenly seemed a predatory way, and Yuuri felt a sudden and great affinity to a mouse facing a snake.

"Oh, you didn't?" She batted long eyelashes at him, but she no longer looked so very empty headed. "I apologize for my intrusion, then, but my friend Elizabeth particularly wanted me to say hello to you for her."

"Oh!" That wasn't a very good explanation, but it _was_ one. "That's nice to hear. How has she been?"

"She's attracted the eye of a young knight from her father's neighborhood. Doing nicely. She seems to have taken rejection by Your Majesty fairly well."

"Oh, I didn't… I mean, she wasn't interested in me from the first. She was just trying to win back Wolfram. She's a very pretty girl…" What would have happened if his proposed bride hadn't been Elizabeth? Might he have married some pretty, decorative noble girl? What would have happened to Wolfram? Yuuri decided not to think about it anymore. "I don't blame her for trying to steal him back."

"Oh, Wolf's a popular type." Yuuri didn't think this woman ought to be allowed to call him "Wolf." She seemed to be trying to make it sound maternal, but… Maybe it was because she was younger than he was. Maybe because she was… "Well, as I can attest." She smiled and took a step toward Yuuri. There was an unwelcome chair between Yuuri and further retreat. "Small, blond, and pretty. Is that more to your tastes, Your Majesty?"

Yuuri tried to back up despite the pesky solid object in his way. His spine was poked in a very unsettling way and he was off balance, but it availed him nothing as she reached for him, smirking wickedly.

"Yuuri!"

Could an angel's voice be sweeter? Yuuri twisted around her and bolted for the door, ducking behind Wolfram and hugging him, forgetting to be bashful while he was being rescued. Then he stopped dead halfway through ducking. Wolfram's eyes had darkened, narrowed. Yuuri thought for a moment he was furious. That was his way, of course. Then he realized it was pain he was seeing.

Oh, hell, did Wolfram think even for a minute that had been voluntary? Yuuri leaned against Wolfram. Protesting his innocence would probably just look suspicious. Everything looked suspicious to Wolfram. "Make her leave me alone!"

It was already fading, that horribly sad look. Yuuri didn't know if it was thanks to his efforts or not. Maybe Wolfram had just seen how absurd it all was. But Yuuri would have a hard time getting that piteously sad look out of his mind, and he noticed Wolfram's hand had darted to Yuuri's ring. Yuuri reached out for that hand, too.

"What do you think you were doing with _my fiancé_?" Ooh, Yuuri had seldom seen Wolfram look so dangerous. All this time he'd been trying to catch someone flirting with Yuuri. Now that he actually had, there were months' worth of backlogged fury ready to come pouring out. Yuuri found it oddly gratifying.

"Hmm. And what are _you_?" She turned and smiled, looking smug. Yuuri followed her gaze and realized suddenly that Wolfram was wearing a very short, blue nightshirt instead of his usual pink monstrosity. It was rather tight on him. There was a thin robe on top, but it didn't do much to help. It looked… very nice on him to say the least. Yuuri had to drag his gaze away. "My, what a loose little thing you are."

"But you—that's not… I, I forgot to pack anything to sleep in!" Wolfram was blushing. "This fit fine when I was thirty or so… But that's not important! You were flirting with Yuuri! More than… than flirting! You were trying to seduce him!" He was back to seething. Yuuri wondered what the danger was of his splitting a seam on his too-small nightshirt. He wondered also whether that would be at all a bad thing.

Yuuri kept his grip on Wolfram's arm. It was reassuring to have him close, impressive to have him so angry and protective, and it meant he'd have to at least drag Yuuri's weight if he intended to start a fight.

"You'd dare accuse a lady of such a thing when you're sneaking into your fiancé's room at night dressed like a lady of the evening?" Yuuri felt Wolfram cringe again. He hadn't realized his fiancé was so modest. Or rather sensitive. It was so easy to break through Wolfram's brittle armor. Yuuri ought to be protecting _him_, not the other way around.

"Stop that! What right do you have to say horrible things like that?" That white-hot anger spark was stirring behind his eyes. No, he couldn't let the maou out. Not now. Not like this. This was Yuuri's job. "You _were_ trying to seduce me, and you're married. And I'm going to be! Wolfram's my fiancé!" Exactly as Yuuri had intended, Wolfram seemed to perk up considerably at that.

"No wedding date, no agreements between the families… Why, Wolfram, I believe His Majesty is even under sixteen. Any such agreement made is to be considered quite tentative and likely to be abandoned under such circumstances. And still we find you in his bed, hmm?"

"Stop going on about that. It's entirely chaste. We just like to be near each other." Wolfram wrapped a very protective arm around Yuuri, gripping so hard it hurt. Yuuri suppressed a grunt. He was starting to get his head around this. She couldn't really think she'd get away with this stunt.

"Well, it's clear _you_ do. Where are you thinking of tempting your poor Maou with that little getup? Seems to me he needs to be rescued."

Yuuri was about to tell her off when Wolfram drew himself up to his full height. "Get out. Now! I'll talk to my father about this in the morning."

"And who's he going to believe, his lovely wife or the little slut?"

"Why, are they different people?" Yuuri jumped at the new voice and turned to see Maddox lounging against the doorframe. "Naomi, you're such a slut you put Mael to shame."

She looked really worried all of a sudden, losing her smirk for a conciliatory smile. Wolfram might not have a hope of convincing his father, but Maddox was a step up in the pecking order. "Maddox, such language. What are you even doing down here?"

"Wolfram, you left this here a couple decades ago," Maddox said simply, extending his hand. He was holding a small, mother-of-pearl comb. "I think it's your mother's."

"Thank you. It is." Wolfram was having a hard time calming down. He actually looked grateful, which Yuuri smiled at. At least he could be reconciled with _one_ brother.

"At that age you were always making off with her stuff, trying to be pretty." Maddox seemed to consider a moment. "You know, I thought you were a girl for the first three years of your life." Wolfram actually growled at him. "Hey, kidding. Don't be a brat. Anyway, I'll talk to Dad tomorrow about the slut here. You guys go to bed. Naomi, leave."

"Thanks, Maddox." Yuuri ignored her shrill protestations. "Um, we were definitely in trouble there."

"She could only have pulled this on a gullible couple of kids like you. Oh, and Wolfram? Tomorrow night you can borrow something to sleep in. That looks ridiculous."

"Ah… oh." He nodded. "Thanks."

Naomi swept past them, more infuriated with being ignored than anything else. Maddox shrugged and closed the door behind him. Yuuri immediately led Wolfram to the bed. He noticed Perilous Sly poking his nose out of Wolfram's pocket. Yuuri plucked the fox out and set him on Wolfram's shoulder. "It doesn't look that silly."

"Hmph. No need to sugarcoat. I didn't expect to comfortably fit in anything that I wore when I was practically a child. It's only for sleeping in. No one's going to see but you." Wolfram suddenly looked a little worried.

"I think it's cute," Yuuri said quickly. "And it's nice that you're comfortable enough with me not to worry." He leaned over and nuzzled Wolfram's shoulder. "You're really tense."

"Do you blame me?" Wolfram glared in a way that dared Yuuri to blame… just about anything.

"No. Here." Yuuri's mother made him give her backrubs whenever she'd had a hard day. It was one of those things she figured her fictitious daughter would have done, and was therefore relegated to Yuuri. His hands were pretty strong from all the baseball practice. He dug his fingers into the tight, hard knots on Wolfram's shoulders. "Wow. You're _really_ stressed. Relax. I'll work these out for you."

"Yuuri…" Wolfram looked a bit askance at him. "What are you doing?"

"It's called a backrub where I come from. …Maybe a massage, the way I'm doing it." Though that had connotations he was glad Wolfram didn't know. "It might hurt a little, but you'll feel much better."

"That seems a contradiction in… terms…" Wolfram's eyes slid closed. Yuuri _was_ pretty good at this. "Alright. But just because you insisted."

Yuuri smirked and kissed his cheek. A few minutes later Wolfram seemed to be nodding off, so Yuuri tucked him into bed with Perilous Sly and stretched out beside him. He'd thought his fiancé was fast asleep, but found himself rather abruptly enveloped in Wolfram. "I'll have to do that for you sometime."

"You're welcome. Though you're probably strong enough to squish me." Yuuri wrapped his arm around Wolfram's waist. …That nightshirt really was awfully tight. Ooh. He should not furiously make out with Wolfram in his father's house. He really shouldn't. But he was so cute, and he'd be back to that pink thing soon enough. While charming and becoming, well, it just wasn't skintight and barely decent. "Mmm… Wolfram, you're gorgeous."

"What?" He really _had_ been about to fall asleep, perfectly happy to do so curled up against Yuuri.

"I'm sure you know. But I wanted to tell you anyway." Complimenting him seemed the most appropriate substitute for kissing Wolfram until both their lips were worn out. "I'm so ordinary. I don't know what you see in me." He'd had it explained to him a hundred times, but he still couldn't see what was so great about his looks, Shin Makoku standards of beauty being what they were. Wolfram was beautiful. Gwendal and Conrad were handsome. Gunter was… ethereal, angelic for lack of a better word. Even someone like Josak had an engrossing, inviting charm. Yuuri was just…

"You don't know how cute you are." Wolfram kissed him, invalidating all Yuuri's struggles not to do it. "It's one thing I like about you. Now go to sleep. We're going to need all our energy tomorrow." He rested his head on Yuuri's shoulder. That arm would be completely numb come morning. Yuuri was learning not to mind.

It didn't feel like morning when Yuuri woke. He was disoriented for a moment. Wolfram was still there, snoring gently. It was pretty dark outside, but now that he looked, it was just very cloudy. Those were angry clouds. There must be a storm coming. Now why was he awake?

Ah. Someone was knocking at the door. "Yes?"

"It's nine o' clock, Yuuri." Conrad's voice. "About time to wake up?"

"I guess. It feels earlier." He sighed, shaking his head. "Wolfram? It's morning."

There was a grunt Yuuri interpreted as, "is not."

"No, I think it is. It's really cloudy out, but it's morning." He climbed over Wolfram and walked to the bag, pulling out his usual clothes. He wasn't going formal to breakfast. There was a mirror in the wardrobe door. Yuuri shook his head quickly, which flattened his hair out pretty well. It was nice to have straight hair for that reason. Wolfram looked a bit like a rooster when he woke up. It was pretty cute. He took the comb Maddox had returned to him the night before to his mop of curls.

"Um, I'll go back to my room and change." He kissed Yuuri quickly and opened the door. Conrad bit back a snort of laughter. Right, he hadn't seen Wolfram's childhood nightshirt yet. Yuuri was glad his fiancé was too busy yelling at his brother to notice Yuuri's laughter.

"It fit fifty years ago! Shut up!" He stormed off, but his door was a few yards from Yuuri's, so it wasn't a very effective storm. The door slammed pretty loudly, though. Yuuri shrugged at Conrad.

"Um, so it was mostly uneventful."

"I was neglectful," Conrad said, looking sincerely penitent. "I should have extracted Lady Bielefeld immediately, but as she wasn't physically threatening you, diplomacy did have to be considered. Having Maddox address the issue is probably the best we could have hoped for."

"Yeah, what an issue…" Yuuri blanched. "That was kinda scary."

Conrad seemed to be repressing a smile. He coughed into his sleeve. "In any case, we should go down to breakfast. I'll wait while you two dress. I believe Gunter is still… not with us." He really did laugh a little then. Yuuri hurried through dressing, amused and content but vexed, a decidedly odd sensation. The indent of Wolfram's head, a long, golden hair, and a blue thread that had apparently given up sometime during the night were all very cheering, but Yuuri had never had to ask someone to please not attempt to seduce him anymore. He wasn't even sure it ought to be brought up with Evert, except that he should know his wife was hardly faithful. Yuuri still couldn't begin to guess why she'd have done it.

Breakfast, which took a while to get to thanks to Wolfram having lost one of his boots and getting slightly lost on the way, wasn't exactly the peaceful meal Yuuri was hoping for. Maddox and Evert were shouting at each other and Naomi was crying. Yuuri was very sorry for her and almost ran to comfort her before he realized she was in all probability faking. He still felt he should go and see. Just in case something unforeseen had happened.

"How dare you say such things about your mother?"

"She's not my mother. I barely remember my mother because you got bored with her when I was five!"

Nope, nothing unforeseen at all.

"That is _not_ important to this conversation, Maddox Bielefeld. Naomi is my wife and the lady of this household."

"Yeah. The fifth one. That's the trouble with trophy wives after a certain age. I should hug Lady Celi for dumping you like you deserve."

"Your Majesty." Evert whirled. Yuuri had been half tempted to try to sneak back upstairs. Doing him one better, Wolfram had retreated up a few steps, though he had that simmering, angry look Yuuri was a little afraid of. "I hope your words will quiet my disrespectful, slanderous son."

"If, um, it's the thing about Lady Naomi… I mean, it's pretty true…" Maybe he should have lied, but if there was anything Yuuri hated more than violence it was dishonesty.

Maddox nodded in satisfaction. "You're acting like it's news that she sleeps around."

"That strumpet had her eye on my fiancé!" Ah, yes. Wolfram _had_ been ready to blow up there. "That… that frivolous tramp with a dubious pedigree!"

Conrad looked slightly alarmed. "Wolfram, perhaps you'd better—"

"I will _not_ calm down!" A spark flew past Yuuri's nose. Uh-oh. "Anyone who dares to touch my Yuuri had better be prepared to pay the price!" Yuuri found himself in another of those rib-compressing hugs. He hoped he'd be allowed to breathe again soon. "That bitch had presumptions on my betrothed!" Naomi's tears got louder, but Yuuri noticed there wasn't much in the way of actual wetness.

"Out. Now. I will not have my home darkened by such filth. Whoever speaks it." Evert snarled, pointing in the vague direction of the door. The room was in a corner of the house, so he had to be inventive.

"Father, you can't. There's about to be a snowstorm." Maddox looked suddenly very nonplussed. That was dangerous.

"Oh, we're leaving. I don't want my Yuuri anywhere near her!" Wolfram jerked Yuuri back up the stairs. "We're packing. Conrad, please wake Gunter."

"Wolfram. Snowstorm!" Maddox didn't like this idea at all.

"I don't care! Not near her." He continued stomping up the stairs. Yuuri let himself be dragged. He was sort of touched by Wolfram's determination, and they'd made it through snowstorms before. Conrad followed, shrugging.

Within an hour they were on the road. Yuuri was very, very confused. This whole thing seemed not to make any sense. Maddox had decided to come with them, choosing the cold outside over the heat at home, but seemed convinced they were all going to die in a snowbank somewhere. Gunter was hung over and miserable. Conrad calmly discussed searching for the Tears of El with Yuuri while Wolfram seethed and refused to let go of Yuuri's hand.

They'd had to leave the horses for stabling, an awkward situation to say the least. Maddox had spoken to the groom and assured them Evert was unlikely to notice. He didn't ride much, or even go outside when not necessary. Getting them _back_ would be interesting, though.

The manor was situated halfway up the mountain range, and before they'd walked very long the ground got to be unpleasantly steep. Yuuri was glad for Wolfram's determined closeness. He was nice and warm. The snow began to fall, soft little flakes that soon turned into sharp, icy little missiles.

They had barely entered the pass when a deep, earth-shaking rumbling announced an avalanche.

**A/N:** _…This chapter is made of silly. That's all I have to say._


	9. Under the Mountain

**Author's Note: **_I am very, very sorry this has been so long in coming. It's been a crazy time for me. And I got kinda distracted by my Tactics fic. It's almost done. Much less epic than my KKM stuff. And it's nearly summer! Summer, when you go to work and then you're done. No homework and long-term projects. Just friends, free time, and fanfiction. Good times shall be had by all. I really didn't mean to leave you with the avalanche cliffhanger for that long. No ninjas, please._

_On another note, with the release of Season 3 and the OVA, this fic and associated stuff of mine (_With Love, White Tiger, My Beloved, _and_ Opaline_) are now officially non-canon, or rather canon only up to Season 2. Frankly, I'm not impressed with the OVA. The OVA has all the stylistic problem of the earliest episodes with the maou showing up for every problem and nothing ever being accomplished, just ceaseless adventure-a-day stories that no one cares about and which make little or no sense. Not that I demand sense from Kyo Kara Maoh, but there's a charm the OVA seems to me to miss. The new season may be interesting. I haven't seen enough to judge fully yet, but it definitely shows promise. In any case, it's definitely not in line with my imaginings. Though I seem to have nailed the "Wolfram's paternal relatives suck" angle. I'm nominating Wolfram's uncle for sketchiest character in KKM history. So henceforth, only what was true up through episode 78 holds in my KKM continuum. Unless… I happen to change my mind. There could definitely be some picking and choosing if Season 3 has something too good to pass up, but my plots are already contradicted a time or two. It's possible that when it's all aired I'll just declare this season 4 in which recent events were strangely not mentioned. Whatever. Hope no one minds. Now I stop rambling._

Yuuri froze, and Conrad and Gunter both reached for their swords, then stopped, looking very disturbed. Nope, couldn't disembowel a cataclysmic wave of solid ice and rocks. Didn't work that way. Yuuri would have laughed if he wasn't fairly sure they were all about to die.

Wolfram grabbed his arm. "Cave. Now!" Maddox was already running toward a small, dark gap in the rock face. It seemed impossible to make it in time, impossible that they'd all fit. But Wolfram and Maddox certainly knew better than the rest of them. And what other choice did they have? Yuuri could perhaps have blocked the snow by exhausting himself with the maou's power. He'd done it once before. But this way seemed viable, too.

Wolfram tugged him through, swinging Yuuri into what turned out to be a much more spacious cave than he'd expected. Conrad stumbled through after them, almost whacking his head on the ceiling. Gunter avoided that fate only by being knocked over as he entered by a rush of snow that made it inside.

Conrad helped him up. "If I don't miss my guess we're completely trapped now… If alive."

"Well, you actually miss it completely." Wolfram pointed into the back of the cave. As Yuuri's eyes adjusted to the dim light, he realized it wasn't just shadow but a tunnel.

"But that could lead anywhere," he said hesitantly. Maybe it'd be easier to crawl out through the snow. They could try melting it. Wolfram's fire would take it right out.

"Not really." Maddox snapped his fingers, glared at them, and snapped again twice before a tiny flame appeared. Wolfram rolled his eyes and summoned one to his palm with a thought, then stopped and looked rather stunned. Maddox snorted. "Yes, master sorcerer, we're all impressed. But any of the tunnels under the mountains will lead us to elves. They might take us prisoner, but we'll get through to Alapai eventually, and it'd be hell to travel out in that storm anyway."

Yuuri was getting very curious about these elves. And more than a little worried. But he agreed they shouldn't be outside if they could help it. Gunter already looked sick, and it had been very hard going even the little ways they'd walked. "Wolfram, is he right?"

"Essentially. I don't know this area very well. But eventually we'll hit at least a patrol or construction crew." Wolfram shrugged. "It'll be better to be out of the storm, and we'll find someone eventually." He leaned in a bit conspiratorially. "Besides, I think we'd better get Gunter out of the snow."

Yuuri nodded. Gunter did look very ill, and at this point it couldn't just be that he was hung over. Yuuri had never thought of him as delicate, but he seemed very ill-suited to this snow. Remembering the warm, dry hills around his home, Yuuri wasn't surprised Gunter did best in direct sunlight.

The tunnel was pretty cold itself. The lack of wind was a blessing, but with only Wolfram's small handful of fire between them and absolute subterranean darkness, the chill had a bone-deep, smothering quality. Yuuri was feeling a bit sleepy within just half an hour of walking. He kept stumbling. Wolfram kept punching him on the arm. He wasn't sure if that was supposed to help him or just keep Wolfram awake.

He was roused completely and abruptly when they rounded a corner and walked right into a bristling wall of spears and blinding light. Yuuri winced. There was a sharp metal tip in his shoulder. And right where Wolfram had been punching him, too. Now he was going to have a cut on top of a bruise, which hardly seemed fair.

"Halt!" That seemed unnecessary. No one was trying to move. Even Conrad didn't have his sword out. Yuuri didn't doubt it'd come out if needed, but Wolfram and Maddox both looked relaxed, and they _had_ said this might happen. Gunter sneezed.

Once Yuuri's eyes adjusted to the sudden light (which was only bright compared to the rest of the tunnel), he finally got a look at the elves. Hardly the little Santa's helpers he'd envisioned. They all looked at least two meters tall. Their skin was a dark bluish-gray shade and their hair ranged from white to silvery gray or blue. All of them wore sleek, black armor. All the ones with spears were female. Three men stood in the back holding lanterns. They were a bit shorter and, Yuuri thought, less scary looking.

Wolfram stuck his nose in the air. "I am Wolfram Von Bielefeld. I have visited the Court Under the Mountain many times, as has my brother Maddox. If you contact Alapai he'll speak for me."

"No need. I recognize you, Bielefeld." A short elf in slightly more ornate armor and a helm shaped like a wolf's head set down her spear. "Any chance you're here to apologize for your father and offer restitutions?"

Wolfram winced, and Yuuri felt his pain. "What's he done now?"

"You're lucky I know you're not at home much. I'll let the prince tell you. Come on, then. All of you." She motioned and the other elves lowered their spears. "Captain Adelgonde, since you clearly don't remember me."

Wolfram might have been wincing at the brusque familiarity, actually. Yuuri wasn't very sympathetic. He needed to learn to lighten up. At least he looked suitably chagrined at forgetting the woman's name. "I apologize. Maddox you know. This is my brother, Lord Conrart Weller." Wolfram appeared not to notice that he had just willingly introduced Conrad as family. Yuuri decided not to say anything, but he smiled, and Conrad looked sort of touched. "My fiancé, Yuuri, Maou of Shin Makoku." The elves didn't bat an eyelash upon hearing his title. He liked that. "And Lord Gunter Von Christ."

Gunter bowed. Then he sneezed again. He finally pulled out a handkerchief. There were a few snickers from the elves. Adelgonde nodded to each of them in turn and began walking. Yuuri liked the elves more and more. No ceremony, no exclaiming over his titles, no etiquette.

He'd expected to come right to their destination, but the walk with the elfish soldiers was even longer than the walk before. Yuuri was absolutely freezing soon. They walked slower to accommodate the elves' armor and the fact that they were on patrol. The cold got deep and bitter and sharp. He eventually just took Wolfram's hand. At least their fingers could be warm.

They emerged from the narrow tunnel onto a cliffside overlooking a city carved from the living stone. It twinkled with a cold light, not fire from friendly torches but the same bright, steady glow that the patrol's torches gave. It made everyone and everything look ghostly. Yuuri shivered a bit from something other the cold as they picked their way down the steep, rather slippery road into the city.

He didn't feel very welcome walking the streets. There weren't many people, and the few elves out and about were as cold and ethereal as their lamps. And a bit hostile, Yuuri couldn't help but think. At least the children seemed interested in them. As far as Yuuri could tell, they were mostly talking about Wolfram's hair. Well, it was a little piece of sunlight in this subterranean world. Yuuri reached over and ruffled Wolfram's curls without thinking. He got scowled at for it, and supposed it was bolder than he should have been in public. Really, though, he just wanted to voice his agreement with their tiny elfish entourage.

They were admitted to the largest building in the city. Yuuri was pretty sure it was a castle, though it wasn't one given to grandeur, carved from the same dark gray stone as every other structure, its architecture sparse and utilitarian. Maybe Covenant Castle spoiled him, but it seemed like a grim place to hold a court.

Inside it was a little nicer. There were wall hangings and some decorations. Yuuri had a sense the ornaments were all very precious gems, unspeakably valuable and of an artistry human hands could barely aspire to, but he really didn't have the eye to tell. However fine the little statues and knick-knacks might have been, they too looked otherworldly and cold.

Throne rooms, Yuuri was beginning to believe, were the one truly universal phenomenon. There was no society in which whoever was in power didn't like to sit in a large, uncomfortable chair above everyone's head and look important.

This throne was occupied by a woman with long, silver hair clad in a coat that reminded Yuuri a bit of Gwendal's, only black. At her side was a boy Yuuri thought about his own age. Unlike most of the elves, he was actually smiling. There was even a spot of color on his clothes, a red flower carved from some stone that clasped his collar. As the ragtag party entered, he ran down from the dais, arms extended and long cloak flowing behind him.

"Wolfram!"

"Alapai!"

Yuuri told himself up until the moment it happened that there wasn't going to be a hug. At least it wasn't _much_ of a hug. He still bristled enough that Maddox, standing next to him, laughed.

"Relax, Your Majesty. In filial terms, Wolfram considers Tall, Dark, and Spooky there to be far more his brother than he does me, or probably Conrart."

Yuuri hoped that was true. He'd already gotten in more trouble than he could take with his jealousy over Arianwyn. If he complained about this friendly elf, he'd be on the outs with Wolfram for months. So he smiled and approached the two.

Fortunately, Wolfram wouldn't let etiquette slide just because he was among elves. "Yuuri, this is Alapai, the Crown Prince Under the Mountain. Alapai, this is my fiancé, Yuuri, the maou."

"Pleased to meet you." Alapai bowed. It was a sweeping, graceful movement. The layers of his flowing robes caught whatever drafts were in the room and blew cloak and billowing hems behind him. Yuuri was reminded a little of Mael and tried to ignore it. The elf prince was otherwise nothing like Wolfram's brother, after all. His smile was warm and genuine and his eyes were kind. He spoke with a slight, peculiar accent, every consonant soft and purring. Overall, he put Yuuri in mind of a giant, sleek housecat.

"You've known Wolfram a long time?"

"All his life and most of mine. Our parents thought it wise to foster peace between our peoples. He spent almost a year living in my mother's court, and I managed some months with him."

"Only a few months?" That didn't seem exactly fair.

"Well, honestly, Yuuri, we couldn't ask him to live on the surface any longer." Wolfram scoffed. "He could only go out at night. The sun hurt his eyes and he was always too hot. He could only stay for that winter."

"Oh. I guess I didn't think." Yuuri snatched a glance at Alapai's eyes. They were almost completely white with slit pupils. He could see the prince having trouble with sunlight. "Well, thanks for looking out for Wolfram, anyway."

"I could say the same to you. He looks very happy."

"Ahem!" Wolfram abruptly whacked both of them with an open hand. "I'm standing right here. You're two of a kind in the way of rudeness." He was smiling, though. Yuuri was willing to bet he didn't mind much. Alapai stuck out his tongue in response to Wolfram's scolding.

Yuuri jumped and tried to hide it. One didn't realize how much one expected a tongue to be pink until seeing a blue one. That was more disconcerting than all the tall, oddly complexioned elves he'd seen yet.

"Wolfram!" An imperious female voice from behind them made Yuuri jump again. At least this time it wasn't rude. He turned. The lady on the throne had stood and was looking down at them. "If you're done greeting my son, I would like a word."

Wolfram bowed, nodded to Yuuri and Alapai, and hurried up the steps. Yuuri tried to think of something to say to Alapai in the meantime. He shifted and coughed a bit. "Um… what's your Mother want to talk to Wolfram about?" Wow, that wasn't a lame conversation or anything.

"It's been a difficult few months. The people are eager to blame Lord Bielefeld. He's a friend to our people only when it suits him, and he's been much less friendly with Wolfram living away from home. The mountain seems angry. There's little game for our hunting parties. More and worse storms than are usual for this time of year have hit. The beasts that usually stay far from our settlements have attacked stragglers and even small villages. All in all, we've had bad luck, and you always want someone to be responsible." Alapai shrugged. The movement made all his drapery wave.

"Bad luck?" Misfortune coming about in clusters and clouds… Wolfram had wanted to blame the disasters in the area on his father, but Yuuri saw no way to blame Evert for storms and monsters. "We came to look for a plant. It's called the Tears of El."

"I don't know all the human words for plants and animals. We usually don't see the same ones underground."

"You know this one, Alapai." Maddox strolled over. "It's the one you showed me last time I was here. The one with the dusty smell that you told me was cursed and I shouldn't approach."

The prince spoke a word Yuuri found quite unintelligible. It might have been a swear or the elfish name for the plant. "Why would you seek this?"

"Because our enemies are trying to use it against us." Conrad joined them as well. "We want to know at least as much as they do."

Alapai grunted in reply, gazing into space for a moment. "When the storm has calmed I can take you to the valley where they grow. We don't go there. It's a cursed, frightening place."

Yuuri nodded. He was ready to deal with malignant magic. "What do you think, Gunter?" He felt bad for leaving the poor man out of their conversation.

Gunter answered with a sniffle. "A wise course of action, provided it's treated with proper care. Achoo!"

Yuuri wished he had a spare handkerchief to offer, but it wasn't the sort of object he usually had on him. Alapai suddenly strode past him and took Gunter's arm with a warm smile. "I know exactly how you feel. I'm similarly wrong-footed whenever I'm stuck up on the surface."

"It's only a cold. I'll be fine."

"Of course. But no reason to take more time recovering than you need to. As soon as Wolfram's spoken to Mother why don't we all head down to the family dining chamber? I'm sure you could use a hot meal."

Yuuri watched in surprise. "Wow. What a diplomat." Gunter was smiling appreciatively and had quite forgotten to protest about how well he was doing.

"A man of many talents, as I understand him." Conrad smiled. "I've never met any elves before, but it seems the rumors were correct. If Alapai is the crown prince then he must not have any sisters and has to operate in a world he's not quite welcome to. He must feel the need to excel in every princely duty."

Yuuri had noticed the distinct matriarchy the elves displayed as well. "Well, he's pretty good at it."

"Reminds me of a few others I know." Conrad smiled innocently at Yuuri's scowl. "You could form some sort of club."

'Conrart, what are you teasing my fiancé about _now_?" Wolfram sniffed at him and took Yuuri's arm, hooking it with his own in a very courtly fashion. "The Queen has offered a meal and beds until the storm's over. She wants me to speak to Father. I couldn't promise anything, but she was understanding."

"At least there's one polite ruler in your life, Wolfram." Yuuri didn't duck the light punch on the arm. Alapai led them to a small cave carved out of smooth volcanic glass. It was sort of hard to walk and not very comfortable on the stone benches even with cushions, but the effect was very beautiful.

Servants brought bread, soup, and tea, all hot and delicious. Yuuri carefully didn't ask what was in the soup or what they made bread out of. He had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer. Gunter fell asleep at the table fifteen minutes into the meal.

Yuuri was getting concerned. "Maybe we should leave him here while we go look for the Tears."

"That would break his heart. Besides, we're only getting some plants." Conrad looked almost fondly at Gunter.

"Don't be so cavalier about it. Strange things happen in that valley." Alapai took a long sip from his tea. "…Gunter isn't quite as I imagined him."

"Well, you mostly heard about him from Gwendal." Wolfram shrugged. Yuuri had a sense he'd missed something. "What kinds of strange things?"

"When the smell of the herbs is strongest, in late spring, it's known to be an inauspicious time of year. Our people never make bets or launch campaigns in that month. Those who venture into the valley directly have often come back changed, chased by nightmares. Just going long enough to pick up a few plants should be alright. Prolonged exposure would worry me, as would a large load of the leaves, but your intentions are modest. …I hope?" He raised an eyebrow. Yuuri immediately nodded.

"We probably only need one for a sample. Anissina made it sound like that was enough to work with."

"Anissina's involved?" Yuuri had never seen someone look relieved when that woman's name was mentioned, but Alapai smiled. "That should be alright, then. You should all get some rest if you're done eating. Unless it's very cloudy out I won't be able to go aboveground until after nightfall, and the snow will probably keep falling at least until sunset anyway. You've had a very long day."

"Thank you!" Yuuri smiled politely. Alapai led them to what the elves called guest rooms. Each one was a single, small cave. The elf held the door for Yuuri and then winked at Wolfram. The blond blushed and stepped hurriedly into the room.

As the door swung closed, one of the coldly glowing orbs on the wall blinked to life. Yuuri walked to the bed. "Hey, Wolfram?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry it worked out that way with your father." Yuuri sighed. "I almost wish we hadn't said anything."

"I should have let her sink her claws into my fiancé?" Wolfram made a catlike hissing sound and glared at Yuuri. He had no one else to glare at.

"Oh, come on, Wolfram. You know I wouldn't have done anything with that witch. Not when I have a beautiful fiancé I love so much." Yuuri grinned at the look on Wolfram's face. He was clearly about to start scolding again when Yuuri stole the words right out of his mouth. He looked confused for a moment, then sat down next to Yuuri and hugged him tightly.

"It isn't your fault."

"Maybe. But I'm not making it any easier. I'd hate to be estranged from my family the way you are. And I'm really sorry." He kissed Wolfram's temple softly.

"With a family like yours, of course you wouldn't."

"Well, maybe Shori could use a little estrangement…"

"What upsets me most is that I didn't even breach the subject of a dowry. I can't ask Mother and Stoffel to shoulder the entire burden, and I've got absolutely no fortune of my own yet. I can't ask Gwendal. It isn't his job." Wolfram sighed and looked away.

"It really doesn't matter to me. I mean, I'm the maou. It's not like I'll ever be hurting for money, right?" Yuuri had a sudden thought. "And why do you need a dowry, anyway? On Earth, at least, that custom developed because it was an inducement to marry a girl from a rich family and would go to support her because she wouldn't be working."

"I hope you were planning to look up how a wedding ceremony goes before we get married!" Wolfram whacked Yuuri with a pillow. "You proposed to me. We're certainly in a position that the gifts I present you can be mostly symbolic, but I don't have the funds even for a grand gesture…"

"How about you just tell me how the wedding goes?" It seemed like a decent chance to hear this without Gunter's interjections.

Wolfram rolled his eyes, but after a moment of looking put-upon he nodded. "The parts are determined by who proposed. There are a few extra steps because you're the maou, of course. In a normal noble wedding, the one who proposed waits at his or her front door to receive the one whose hand has been requested. You'll use Covenant Castle. I'll be brought riding a white horse by two members of my family. Ideally my mother and father, but of course that's not always possible. I was planning to ask Gwendal to take Father's place. The dowry is presented before we enter the house. One gift for past, present, and future. You'll give me a robe in your colors and I give you a robe in mine. We go inside and we'll be in front of the waterfall where you had your coronation ceremony. That's where we exchange vows. I don't know them by heart. We'll learn them together. Then we walk into the water together and it's over."

"Into?"

"Well, really we just both put our hands under the flow. Otherwise our wedding clothes would get ruined. I've already got one of the gifts planned."

Yuuri already felt a little silly about Wolfram giving him presents, but if it was that much part of the traditional ceremony, his fiancé would kill him for trying to get rid of it. "It sounds nice. I like it better than the ones I'm used to seeing on Earth." Not that he'd been to many. His aunt had gotten married when he was eight in a very over-the-top Western-style ceremony at a fancy hotel. The was his clearest memory of any wedding.

"I guess we should start getting ready then. I mean, we'll have to get the robes made up…" He was trying very hard to think pragmatically. It might impress Wolfram. More importantly, it might keep Yuuri's mind off the fact that he was actually intending to get married, a fact that he hadn't quite let sink in yet.

"Oh, no, those get passed down through families. I'll have no choice but to borrow it from Father. And it's not going to suit you at all. It's mostly in yellow. Only the trim is blue. Really, there's no one it flatters. The maou's wedding robe is in the treasury, though, waiting for you. Mother showed it to me once when she was considering getting married again a few years ago. You'll like it. It's very plain and elegant."

Yuuri didn't usually care about elegance much, but at least it wouldn't be adorned with, say, a giant rock and a section of purple carpet. "You'll still outshine me as usual."

"Well…" Wolfram suddenly blushed. He'd looked a little flustered the whole conversation, but he now took on the distinct mien of chagrin. "The Daikenja already said I could use the original consort's robe…"

Consort. Yuuri know that Wolfram's official title as his husband would be Prince Consort. So that made sense. But what did Ken have to do with it? "Huh?"

"He was a bit taller than I am, so it might fit a little oddly. Still, pins applied properly can take care of that. Mother's good at that kind of thing."

"Wolfram? You've lost me. What might fit oddly?"

"The robe that the Daikenja wore when he married Shinou, of course! It's ancient, of course, but it's been carefully kept up and is in pretty good shape."

"Muraken was married to Shinou?" Since when? Yuuri realized only then that his jaw had dropped.

"Do you ever pay attention to history? The wedding followed the binding of Soushu almost immediately. Honestly, Yuuri." Wolfram bopped the side of his head. "I really… I just want to wear it. It's beautiful and well made. And it's this wonderful dark gray. I'd usually only be allowed trim that dark, but for a wedding day… It looks like a storm cloud spun into a hundred thin layers of cloth!"

He looked so dreamy for a moment Yuuri couldn't bring himself to say anything. Finally he managed putting his arm around Wolfram and kissing him. "You'll be beautiful." Wolfram smiled and nestled against Yuuri. They stretched out and curled up under the soft elfish blankets. Yuuri didn't get to sleep for a while despite how tired he was. Ken and Shinou? He knew there'd been a lot of intervening lives, but… Wow.

Yuuri was mercifully roused by a dream about Ken in a fluffy, white wedding dress by a knock at the door. "Wolfram! Yuuri! The storm's died down and it's well after dark." It was Alapai's voice. "We should have a quick supper and then get going."

Wolfram sat up rubbing his eyes. "Alright. We're coming." He got up and primped for a few moments in the room's silver mirror. There was no special reason for it. He just felt the need to put his curls back in place, it seemed. Yuuri eventually took his hand and led him out.

The castle was a lot busier than when they'd gone into their rooms. Yuuri wondered if the elves were nocturnal. Though what would be the point when they lived underground? Had they all been out in scouting parties? Gunter joined them after a moment. He looked a little better for the rest.

"Feeling refreshed, Your Majesty?" He bowed to Yuuri. "What a fascinating place. I've wanted to visit an elfish city since I was a child. The culture and customs here are fascinating." His eyes sparkled the way they usually did only when faced with a good book. Or, even better, a chance to tell Yuuri all about a good book.

"You seem almost more elf than mazoku," Alapai said with a smile as he returned, Conrad in tow. "Or at least you look it. You don't have any elf in your background do you?"

"Oh, that's just silly." Gunter laughed politely.

"Not necessarily. Interbreeding's rare, but it's quite possible. I know a girl in the city who's half human."

Yuuri smiled at that. The elves seemed so insular. It was nice to think of them as being more accepting, the way he wished humans and mazoku could be.

There was entertainment with dinner, three dancers in swirling black even more flowing than Alapai's clothes and adorned with silver spangly things. They were accompanied by a very young elf on a lute-like instrument. Yuuri found them hypnotic, a mass of twirling black and silver that looked like the night sky, only spinning. The room smelled like herbs. He was beginning to get sleepy and caught himself leaning on Wolfram's shoulder.

Then, abruptly, it was over. The dancers and musician left and Alapai got up to open a vent on the wall. The herby smell was gone. Suddenly Yuuri was uneasy. "What was that about?"

"Hopefully it will protect you from the effects of the valley. We have no specific method for dealing with the plants, but that's part of a general enchantment to bring good fortune. I'm hoping it will cancel out the plants' effect."

"Oh." Yuuri still didn't like it. "Please tell me next time you're doing magic on you."

"That's Alapai for you. He's as bad as Anissina sometimes." Wolfram shot the elf a look. "They aren't used to it."

"I apologize. Are you ready to go?" He nodded to a maid and she picked up their dishes. "We'll be heading through the city up to the passage to the surface. There'll also be a short walk up on top of the mountain. We don't have a direct route to that cursed place. So everyone better bring their warmest clothes. There's been a snowstorm all day."

There was a brief scramble for winter coats. Wolfram put Yuuri's hat on for him and tied it under his chin, making the maou blush while Conrad smirked and Gunter, well, Gunter sniffled. His handkerchief was looking overworked. Yuuri made him put a scarf on.

The city, like the castle, was more lively as they walked toward the tunnels. Yuuri thought the elves all looked a bit subdued. They were all thin and sort of quiet. He redoubled his resolution to stop the spread of the malignant influence he was chasing. It was hurting everyone, not only humans and mazoku. He even felt sorry for the animals attacking settlements against their natures.

The tunnel they walked through to get to the surface was much smaller than the one they'd taken into the city. It was rougher as well and didn't look like maintenance was very closely tended to. Yuuri was a little afraid it was going to fall in. He could swear he saw bones in some of the tiny side-tunnels coming off it.

"This place is about as spooky as they get," he whispered to Wolfram, who called him a wimp but looked like he agreed.

The sky was very clear outside. The moon was almost full and every star was visible up in the mountain air away from any cities. The cold light from the heavens illuminated an incredible view. Yuuri was glad he had a head for heights. It was beautiful, but everything looked sharp, even the drifts in the snow. The world was carved out of ice and moonlight and ready to slice the unwary. And the snow was waist deep.

Alapai hopped up on what Yuuri thought was a rock for a moment, but he took several steps and it was suddenly clear he was walking on top of the freshly fallen snow.

"Showoff," Wolfram said with a snort. Conrad stepped in front of him.

"Lead the way, and I'll see if I can carve a path for the less gifted among us," he said gently. Alapai had the decency to look a bit chagrined. "Is it very far?"

"I'm not sure. I've never had to break through snow." He sighed. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I don't often travel with anyone but elves. We'll go slowly."

"I think we'd better go as fast as we can." Yuuri looked back at Gunter. He was already looking ill again. "Conrad, I'll help you clear a path."

"Unnecessary. If I get too tired, I'll trade with someone, but we only need room for one person to pass." Yuuri rolled his eyes, annoyed at how sensible Conrad was being. Arguing with him would have made this miserably snowy slog a little more tolerable.

The beauty of the night and the mountains got a lot less appealing and a lot more irritating as they walked on. Conrad, Yuuri thought, was starting to look tired, but he grunted and brushed off any offer of help from Yuuri or Wolfram. Gunter, at least, had the sense not to try. He was mostly occupied with coughing anyway.

Yuuri was starting to be ready to give up for the night when Alapai stopped dead beside him. The wind picked up abruptly, cold and bitter. It carried the scent of dust after rain, the scent of an office where no one went and the books just decayed, a musty sepulcher that never received visitors, the house of an old man waiting to die. It was a very sad smell, now that Yuuri was experiencing it without being distracted by his betrothed bleeding in his arms.

Beside him, Wolfram bit his lip. He must have been thinking about the same thing.

"We're here, aren't we?" Gunter's voice was muffled through his scarf, but it was firmer than Yuuri expected.

"Yes. And I don't like it already." Alapai sighed. "It's stronger than it should be this time of year. The valley is protected. There shouldn't be too much snow. But even so, I'd expect enough to bury normal growth."

"Let's just get in and get out." Yuuri didn't want to get any closer to the source of that smell. It was the scent of death and he was afraid, but he couldn't admit that after going through so much to get it. "I know I don't want to spend extra time here."

"Right. We'll head through that cracked boulder." Alapai pointed to a massive rock that had split in the middle untold ages ago so the crack was worn smooth. "It's very steep on the other side. Everyone be careful."

"Is it hard for you?" Conrad grumbled as he forced his way through the snow. "Well, then we're all going to fall straight to the bottom." His mood was definitely sour. Yuuri didn't blame him, but he wished Conrad would be the pillar of sense and pacific calm he usually was.

Through the crack in the boulder was a slope that went almost straight downward. There was little snow, most of it blocked by an ominous rock overhang that also kept out the light of the moon and stars. At least it wasn't too slippery with ice, but even in the best weather the slope would have been hard to climb. Yuuri and Wolfram went down side by side, suggesting handholds to each other.

Yuuri didn't want to move so much as a foot from Wolfram all of a sudden. His fiancé seemed to feel the same way. They were both jumpy and couldn't stop glancing over their shoulders.

"What are you looking for?" Wolfram finally asked.

"I don't know. But you're looking, too." His foot slipped further down the slope than he liked and he felt a rush of panic that continued to make his stomach churn after he'd righted himself. He was frozen for almost a minute before Wolfram nudged Yuuri with his elbow. He nodded and continued down.

"This place is really cursed," Yuuri said as hs feet found the solid floor of the valley. "I… does anyone else feel horrible?"

"Like I just woke up from a bad dream," Wolfram assented, looking pale.

"It's like the moment before a battle, but extended forever." Conrad squinted. "I see the plant, I think."

"I'll get it. I've seen Anissina's diagrams. Wouldn't want to pick some weed by accident." Gunter pulled down the scarf around his neck to speak. His eyes looked haunted to Yuuri, and the maou guessed that he felt the strange influence of the valley worse than any of them.

Gunter walked into the gloom. Yuuri hesitated a moment, then followed, grabbing Wolfram's hand and pulling him along. He didn't think they should split up. "Gunter?"

"I've found one. Just let me get it into the sample jar Anissina gave me."

Yuuri could faintly make out the white shape that was Gunter crouched over a low, scrubby plant that looked very lively, considering the snow. There was something ominous in the picture, even knowing the ghostly figure was his good friend. He moved closer to Wolfram and was raising an arm to put around his shoulders when Gunter's knife flashed too brightly in the gloom (where _had_ the light come from?) and there was a sudden, silent shock that knocked Yuuri off his feet.

**Author's Note:**_ Ha, _new_ cliffhanger for the next two months! No, I'm not that evil. I hope. Still… ha!_


	10. The Seeds of El

Yuuri reeled for a moment. It felt like an earthquake had just hit. No, not an earthquake. There'd been a distinct lack of, well, quaking. But it certainly felt like the ground had somehow bucked him off his feet, however immobile it was. There'd been no sound. There was still no sound. None at all. There had been the wind whistling overhead, the occasional rustle in the brush, the crunch of snow as one of the others shifted behind him. Now all was silence and cold.

It had gotten much colder. The air certainly hadn't been balmy before, but this was truly brutal. Breathing felt like ice thrusting down into his lungs. The perfect stillness all around made the frigid air harsher somehow. At least wind could b bundled against, turned away from. This cold attacked from all sides. It was like the cold underground only worse, bone deep, oppressive and heavy.

Yuuri tried to stand, but found he didn't have anything like the energy. It wasn't that he felt drained, but whatever was keeping him on the ground (and he felt no force, just its effects) was stronger than he was. He tried to call on the Maou, but couldn't. It was a hard thing to do on purpose at the best of times, but now… Whatever had Yuuri stuck on the valley floor had his wilder self trapped as well.

He managed to raise his head and look around. He couldn't see Gunter, which was very unnerving. In the dim light, he should have been easy to spot, his light robes standing out against both the snow and the dark soil where it showed through. Not a sign of him. Yuuri found that frightening more than the cold and silence. He turned to shout to Conrad for help. Wait, why hadn't Conrad helped him already? And where was Wolfram? And where was his mind, that he hadn't immediately thought of them?

While he couldn't manage to get up, Yuuri did force himself to turn around. At least they hadn't disappeared. Wolfram was only a little ways behind Yuuri, collapsed at a very uncomfortable angle. He must have gone down much faster. Conrart was further behind, his back against a rock. At least he'd been able to fight a little bit before he went down.

Yuuri would figure out what had happened after hed at least gotten to Wolfram. His fiancé was shaking. His eyes were open the tiniest bit. Yuuri fought hard against whatever was holding him, whatever intangible force wanted him to succumb like the others (or disappear like Gunter). He tried to shout for Alapai, who had—sensibly—refused to come down. His voice didn't work. He managed only the slightest croak.

His efforts to cross the arms length between him and Wolfram were rapidly exhausting him. Yuuri made it to his lover's side, tried to say his name, but crumpled immediately. His hand reached Wolfram's, but by then he wasn't conscious enough to know.

Yuuri felt himself slipping. For a moment it was physical, falling onto the icy stone, but the moment passed smoothly into a sensation of falling much further. Slowly. Yuuri had become very accustomed to the feeling of sinking in water. It was no longer the fright that it should have been. Yet here that sensation was, frightening him as badly as it had that first time in the toilet. He was drifting down, not being pulled, but that made it worse, because he couldn't resist. Couldn't even try!

And then it stopped. It was just dark and cold for a moment, but then he realized it wasn't the horrid, dead, all-encompassing darkness of his descent, but merely nighttime. No stars, though. It was cloudy. Or so he thought for a moment. Those weren't clouds. That was smoke, billowing, massive swirls of it with the orangey glow beneath that bespoke massive fires and destruction.

He was on a hillside, a barren place where a chill, empty wind whistled past empty trees. He thought he might have come back down to Bielefeld lands for a moment, but… No, yet again this was a different kind of cold. This was a hard, unseasonal cold that came with an empty autumn, one that didn't follow much of a summer. An ugly cold. And there were no mountains. No, he was far away from where he should be.

Yuuri stood, and found he had no trouble with it now. There was that, at least. He hurried toward the glow of the fires. He could summon real rain and put it out, save whoever and whatever he could, and then he'd figure out what was going on.

His eyes adjusted as he went, and at the same time the darkness lightened, illuminated by the glow around the next hill. Yuuri was horrified by what he saw. He'd seen battlefields. Sort of. He'd seen battles happen and seen their distant aftermath. This, however, was merely the field, the battle moved on to other pastures. Everything was burned and destroyed. The earth was cut to pieces by horses hooves and thousands of tramping feet.

The scorch marks were deliberate. He remembered reading about scorch-and-burn warfare in schools. He hadn't realized what it looked like. He could make out the remains of fences. These had once been fields of crops. Now merely ash and mud, no good to anyone.

But that was nothing to the blood that soaked the fields. Yuuri made out the first body when his foot bumped into it. He heard himself scream with an odd detachment as his head spun. He vomited, or rather gagged. There seemed little in his stomach. Elf fare wasn't known to be particularly filling, but that seemed odd.

Actually, the whole thing was odd. Yuuri found that when he focused, particularly on the bodies he was beginning to see everywhere, they were… fuzzy. Sort of unreal. This world was horrible. Absolutely gruesome. But it felt like a dream. Not even a nightmare, but a construct, a shadow of something real. And after all, he couldn't really be here.

He'd just fainted on the floor of a valley with his friends. He wasn't really in a burnt out field surrounded by the dead. But even with the strange, dreamlike landscape that was hard to keep in mind. Logic told him one thing, but his mind was trying very, very hard to accept another, quite in spite of his will. It was like the unfeelable force that had kept him on the ground. He was being manipulated by something he couldn't even fathom.

But he'd deal with that later. Dream, premonition, vision… Who knew? Maybe it was some kind of test, maybe a disaster he could avert, a clue, an enchantment… Yuuri had no clear theories, but he couldn't act contrary to his nature. There was a fire. The damage had been done here, was making him want to cry and scream and maybe be sick again, but he couldn't change that. Maybe ahead, where the fires were still burning or beyond, he could change it.

Yuuri ran up the nearest hill, hoping for a view. He was appalled by what he saw. Two armies clashed. Or he guessed it was two. There were thousands of them, cavalry and foot soldiers, strange machines, blasts of maryoku everywhere.

He looked back over his shoulder for a moment. It wasn't just fire that had scarred the land. The earth was torn and scarred in unnatural ways, now that he looked with a more critical eye and with the full, horrid illumination of the blazes in front of him. There was a riverbed empty, its waters torn away, its banks caved in, bodies and broken debris filling the bottom. Perhaps they'd tried to flee the fires. Yuuri was glad now that everything was so dreamlike and out of focus. If he'd had to look clearly at such a ghastly scene, he'd have done worse than throw up. He already wanted to curl into a little ball and cry.

He wanted Wolfram and the others. He wanted a bright day, or at least stars in the sky, not this cloud of blazing ash. He wanted to run. He almost did, for all the heroism in his heart. What could he change?

But when he turned, he noted again how unreal everything was. If he tried to focus too closely on one of the corpses, even an upthrown rock from someone's earth maryoku or a burned cart, it would waver and he'd want to look away. The same part of his mind that kept trying to believe this whole awful world was real wanted to look away, anyhow.

Yuuri was stuck in a dream, and all he could do was try to change it. He turned back to the battlefield. He could make out the flag of Shin Makoku, which he expected. No one else would be using such magic. But the other side was throwing a lot of power, too, the nasty, fragile, unnatural esoteric spells that made Yuuri mildly uncomfortable and mad ethe likes of Wolfram and Gunter pass out.

He looked for flags amid the human side as well. Or what was mostly the human side. This was not a tightly controlled fight, and the sides surged at each other with little regard for order. Yuuri knew little of tactics despite his tutors' efforts, but he thought he could see the commanders struggling to retain some sort of order.

It took a while to pick the sigils of the human nations out of the fray. Many were half burned, swathed in smoke, spattered with blood. But he could see them. He saw them, indeed, with more clarity than the horrors over the hill.

Caloria. Cavalcade. Big and Small Cimaron. Fransia. So many. Allies to Yuuri or his direst enemies all united as a front, a seething mass of soldiery. Death and magic and hate clouded the air as much as the curling smoke. Yuuri fell to his knees and cried. For a moment, the part of his mind that believed won out.

It was very strange. In the moment he believed, Yuuri saw a whole history. The collapse of his relations with various allies. Lady Flynn's suspicious death had ruined his pact with her little country. The Cimarons united in desire to bring him down once the alliance began to crumble. Princess Beatrice had been held as a hostage for a time, but that hadn't been enough to hold off Cavalcade. Big Cimaron had finally toppled Fransia's government. A hundred little stories and disasters and accidents intruded on Yuuri's mind, explaining to him the fall of his perfect world, the end of the peace he'd built.

He'd begun to lose hope when Wolfram died. Who could keep their eyes eternally on heaven when heaven was lost forever, after all? Well, not lost. Stolen by an assassin who'd been a bit more careful. Killing that damn Candide had been small satisfaction. And then came Small Cimaron's sabotage of Shinou's weakened temple, setting magical traps that had ruined Ulrike's powers and driven Ken mad with the backlash. Yuuri blamed that for Gunter's desertion. He'd believed so much in the power of the temple and in Yuuri's infallibility. He'd been _broken_ when all that came crashing down. And without him, history and magic in the castle had lost their greatest protectors. Giesela had remained at court, trying to fill in for her father, but she wasn't the scholar he was, wasn't the advisor. Her failure to replace him and her short, bitter marriage to Gwendal had left her almost as ruined as Gunter. And now they were both gone, snatched once more from their summer home, from cursed Fallonhold. Yuuri hoped for their sake they were dead. It was better for the dead than the captured. Lady Celi's awful fate was proof enough of that. Gwendal and Hube together had ridden away in the night to avenge her. Only one had returned, and Gwendal would never speak of what had happened. He almost never spoke anymore. The only ones who did were Anissina and Josak, who planned together most assaults, who tried their best to keep the endless human forces at bay, to protect the country while everything crumbled around them. Oh, they were near cracking. Yuuri knew it, saw it in both their eyes whenever he was near them. So he tried not to be, except when he received their work. It was well done, but futile. They just didn't have the forces, the resources, the power…

Yuuri tore himself free with a shrill, thin scream that was almost soundless though all his power had gone into it.

He shook his head so hard it hurt. For a moment he looked down at his hands and them stronger, broader, scarred. For just a moment he saw himself as the man this awful world had had him become, ugly, empty, and vengeful. He sniffed, brushing away the tears with the sleeve of his jacket, not an elaborate military uniform, and forced himself to stand tall.

It wasn't true. Not a word of it, not a moment, not a vision. But it was still awful. It was all in his mind, now, the deaths and ruin of everyone in Shin Makoku he held most dear, the loss of his love and the family he'd gained here, every single one of them lost or rendered and awful caricature.

It was like Yuuri's first impressions of them all had been stretched and mangled into awful extremes. Gunter's bitterness against the humans, Gwendal's distant, standoffish nature… Someone had reached into the depths of his mind and showed him what he was sure to hate and fear most. And he couldn't shake it. It all felt half real, and the horrid possibilities… Haunting. He wouldn't let any of it happen! Not ever!

But if he'd been hoping that resolution would banish his visions, he was entirely out of luck. He was still watching the battle. Yuuri realized he hadn't been told by that awful stream of lies what this nasty, twisted world would have made of Conrad. Strange. After Wolfram, maybe even _with_ Wolfram, Yuuri would expect his mind to show him the fate of his beloved godfather.

As if in answer, he suddenly saw Conrad on the battlefield. And whoever was crafting this nightmare hadn't been remiss. He was thin and pale. A wreck, a shadow of himself. His swordwork, even Yuuri could see, was sloppy. His eyes were hollow. Yuuri didn't know how he could see all this. Conrad was riding all the way across the battlefield. But this did seem more dream than reality at the moment, and somehow his vision telescoped. As did his other senses. Yuuri caught a whiff of strong alcohol. A shadow of untended stubble covered his sallow cheeks. There were new scars. His body looked wasted. Even his horse was drooping.

No wonder. After losing his younger brother he'd been as devastated as Yuuri. The maou suspected he'd begun drinking in earnest then, and even Yosak couldn't help. And when Gwendal had withdrawn into himself as well, when Celi was dead and Stoffel close to it… He'd snapped like the rest of them. Even the Lion of Rutenburg had his limits, far beyond those of any other mazoku as they might be. He'd lost his love and his family. All he had to cling to was Yuuri. And Yuuri was disappearing too.

He shook his head. He most certainly was _not_ disappearing! But then… how had he let this happen? Yuuri swallowed. He realized with a sickening start that he remembered executing Candide. And now came others, traitors, spies, war prisoners… It was as shady as the bodies on the road, but he knew he'd done it.

Whoever made this world thought Yuuri capable of cold-blooded (or was it hot-blooded) murder. And who was he to say he wasn't? Maybe this _was_ the future he was seeing. Time yet to come would be as fuzzy and unstable as a dream, after all, wouldn't it?

He choked back a sob and shouted what he meant to be a no. He didn't quite manage the word. He wasn't that person. He would never be that person. Even if Wolfram was… No. He never could.

Then who was the man beside Conrad? Yuuri grudgingly, horribly recognized himself. Older, taller, hair long and wild, wielding a sword with far greater competence. The Maou entirely now, or a cold, twisted, evil thing that had been made of the Maou. There was power in the dark warlord's fingertips, power to tear through ranks of human soldiers, to raise horrid golems from the earth. There was death in his eyes, and no mercy anywhere in him.

Wolfram's ring shone on his hand, awfully incongruous beside dark, imposing armor.

God, those eyes. Yuuri wanted to turn and run. He turned, anyway. Now he could see Gwendal. Like Conrad, he was a shadow of himself, unhealthy and drawn. His characteristic scowl was no more. He didn't even seem like he _could_ scowl. That'd be too much. There was no emotion, no soul left in him. He was a voice, commanding the soldiers above the fray, a sword reeving through enemy infantry, and nothing more.

And then a cart came over another hill, on the other side of the battle field from Yuuri's. It carried a box. No, a cage. His too-sharp vision gave him an immediate look inside. Giesela and Gunter. She stood, tall and proud and scowling, bruised and battered but refusing even to teeter, clinging to the bars of her cage to stay up. Her clothes were shredded—the imagination cringed even to think of what had happened to her. Gunter cowered in a corner. He was blindfolded, and creeping from under the cloth Yuuri saw awful scars. The vision immediately supplied the knowledge that he'd been blinded in a raid, that under that fragile scarf lay a sight too horrid to think about. The vision provided it anyway, and Yuuri reeled from the mere memory. The same assassin who'd killed his precious Wolfram had done it. With a hot poker.

A human rider was shouting terms of negotiation, referring to the hostages and their status in the proceedings. Yuuri heard himself speak, felt his mouth form the words.

"Take two of the best archers to the hill and put them out of their misery."

"Your Majesty?" Conrad's voice was a cracked croak.

"You heard me. I will not have this battle further jeopardized. I will not wager the fates of all for the sake of two. But in recognition of past services I want it done as quickly and painlessly as possible."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Yuuri felt himself begin to shake uncontrollably. No. No! It had to be some sort of ploy, a clever plan, something the Maou would use as a distraction. There would never be a bargain like that! He fell to his knees and had no compulsion to get back up. He tried to look away, but the dream wouldn't let him. He saw them die. On his… on his awful doppleganger's orders.

Conrad looked away with a hoarse sob. Even Gwendal, deadened shell of a man that he was, threw back his head with a savage roar of pain. But the Maou only looked on. Cold.

Yuuri screamed again, and this time he heard it properly. No! This was not a world he would permit to come about, and whatever was showing him this awful vision had overstepped its boundaries. For a moment he felt his real power stir, felt the awful hellscape around him crumble to dust.

He was sitting in a small room. The floor and ceiling were jet black and icy cold to the touch. It smelled of dust after the rain when a drought has been in effect too long and that little sprinkle of water doesn't begin to alleviate it. Of a pile of love letters left unopened in a drawer.

Yuuri blinked. He was still shaky and crying a bit. In front of him seemed to be a cracked mirror. It reflected his own face back, but very faintly he could make out the battle still going on behind it. He spun away, refusing to see any more of that heinous lie.

There were three other mirrors, each making up a wall of the room. He looked into the one to the right of what he could only call "his" mirror.

He saw his reflection, but much more clearly than in his own he could see events unfolding behind it. After he looked for a moment his face disappeared and it was almost like watching a TV. Wolfram sat alone at the table Yuuri recognized as the one used for conferences with the Ten Aristocrats and the Maou.

He looked older. His hair was longer and straight, tied back. Yuuri smiled to see it was tied with a black ribbon, the sort of little touch he understood belonged only to the maou's consort. But why did he look so sad? His eyes were twin pools of absolute pain. He was pale and too thin, the way he'd been right after the assassination attempt.

After Yuuri had watched him, concerned and confused, for a moment, others entered the room. He recognized them all, at least faintly, all the Ten Aristocrats. Gwendal sat beside Wolfram, but neither spoke or really seemed to acknowledge each other at all. Gwendal seemed much as he always had. Yuuri supposed this wasn't flung so far into the future as his own awful vision.

He was a little jealous, really. He'd had to watch the world disintegrate, the end of his dreams and his friends, and Wolfram… Well, what _was_ Wolfram seeing? He was clearly unhappy and detached…

Gunter sat across from them. He hadn't changed a bit, didn't seem at all unhappy. In fact, he was smiling more broadly than Yuuri often saw. Curiouser and curiouser.

Wait. _Gunter_ was wearing a black-beaded bracelet.

Yuuri had only a split second to puzzle over the meaning of that when he saw himself enter the room. A bit older, taller and a bit broader in the shoulders. Yuuri wasn't surprised to see himself looking rather handsome and refined in any vision of Wolfram's, but he was still just a little flattered. It wasn't a way he could really think of himself. But he had more important things to think about than that. Yuuri shook his head.

Behind the maou in the mirror followed a pretty girl. No one Yuuri knew. She didn't even look like a real person. She echoed Naomi, Elizabeth, Lady Flynn… he saw strange, fleeting hints of many of the pretty and friendly women he knew in her, but she was no one special. And she also was wearing a little black token, a comb in her hair. As was a second girl who stuck her head in behind her. This one was brunette instead of blonde, but also had a strange, unearthly quality of being possibly just about anyone. They were young and pretty and smiling. Yuuri saw himself bow to one, kiss the other's hand, and there was anything but innocence in either gesture.

And then as he passed he took Gunter's hand for a moment with a sickmaking, simpering smile. Yuuri's eyes widened as he watched himself slide into place beside Wolfram without so much as a glance. The last few aristocrats appeared, among them Wolfram's father.

Yuuri watched the meeting unfold with increasing horror. Oh, perhaps Wolfram wasn't seeing the end of the world, but it was certainly the end of any joy he could take from life. Yuuri couldn't hear much. Occasionally he caught a word, but most he was limited to what he saw. Wolfram sat in almost perfect silence, never raising his eyes unless called upon. When, rarely, someone called attention to him, Yuuri winced to see the performance. He spoke to the table. Not even Gwendal paid him any mind, and before he'd said more than a few words someone would generally jump in and start talking again. Every eye that fell on him fell with disdain.

Yuuri tore himself away miserably. He wouldn't watch anymore. It wasn't fair or just. He'd never do that to Wolfram! But… well, was it part of the road to what he'd become in his own vision? Rejecting Wolfram before he'd been murdered, making his betrayal all the worse? _Were_ they seeing the future? He didn't want to believe it. He stole a quick glance back.

Gwendal smirked mockingly at the moment he looked. As when he'd seen nothing in his own eyes when Giesela and Gunter died, Yuuri saw in that gesture proof that they were seeing lies. Whatever was doing this to them was taking whatever they most feared and hated and going overboard. One step too far and the horror became a farce. Yuuri would never be able to watch his friends die without batting an eyelash and Gwendal would never be cruel to his littlest brother. It was ugly and unjust, but it wasn't true.

Yuuri turned to another mirror. As with Wolfram's it took a moment to see through the reflection to what was inside. Funny, he always knew whose mirror he was looking at. Wolfram had been the only one in the room when Yuuri had looked (he hoped he'd never find out what might have happened before), so that wasn't so hard to figure out, but there was quite a crowd in Conrad's mirror. Yuuri still knew it was his, though. The feel was somehow unmistakable.

For a moment he thought he was looking at Svelera. It was mostly the same. A horrid, dirty, unsafe mining camp with poor souls toiling in the hot sun. There were overseers with whips and leers. There was a blast of wind as Yuuri watched that blew sand hard at all the workers. A lot fell over, probably wore to avoid the stinging grains of sand than from the force. They stood up gasping.

The first one Yuuri recognized was Josak. He looked sunburned and sour. Yuuri knew already that there was something truly awful about an angry expression on Josak's cheerful face. He felt the full force of it now. There are anger there, and sorrow and helplessness, all he'd seen the night Mael got what was coming to him. And it was even deeper. Yuuri felt a distinct hopelessness of his own.

Defeat. That was what he saw in Josak, and when that man was defeated, what hope could there be for anyone else?

Conrad stood beside him. His arm was in a sling, but he'd still clearly been working all day. Josak didn't help to steady him the way Yuuri knew he would have. There again he found his proof that he was seeing pure fantasy and dreadful lies. He supposed one could conquer Josak, but one couldn't keep him from helping Conrad with something so small.

Slowly, Yuuri began to recognize a few other workers. One was very small, a little girl with big brown eyes and brown hair, with a strangely familiar frown. He realized with a jolt he was looking at Elle. He knew many of them. Humans or half humans from the city, from around the country. Most of them were young or rather weak looking, the strong or the older ones mostly sacrificed at Rutenburg.

He wondered what had become of Chai. Then he noticed a little graveyard, the same as the one in Svelera, and swallowed. Oh.

And the overseers were all Mazoku. Yuuri sighed and stopped looking. He'd seen all he needed to. So in Conrad's worst nightmares, he and his kind and even their human brethren were reviled just as they were in human lands. That was all Yuuri needed to know. Something else he could vow would never happen. Something he wouldn't allow. He wouldn't watch their suffering anymore.

The last mirror took a while to see into. Maybe because he was closer to Wolfram and Conrad. But once he'd gazed past his reflection, he was horrified by what he saw.

It seemed that Gunter's utmost misery came about pretty much the same way Yuuri's did. He saw a massacre, burns and scars on the land. But it wasn't in some anonymous valley. It was Covenant Castle. Yuuri knew every face he saw on the dead. Oh, and they were real.

Actually, in _none_ of the other's visions had he seen the shakiness, the wavering unreality he'd seen in his own. Every one of their nightmares was crystal clear and perfectly realized. How much the worse for them.

And at the moment, the worse for Yuuri. At least the gore of his awful vision had been out of focus and dreamlike. For Gunter it was real, and Yuuri shuddered and bit his lip just looking. Telling himself it wasn't real didn't help much. He had too weak a stomach for really gory movies on TV, and when the victims were friends of his, it really turned his stomach. He gagged again, glad his stomach was empty.

Gunter's subconscious apparently wasn't one for half measures. Essentially everyone was dead. Dakaskos, Greta, Sangria, Wolfram, Raven… He didn't see a corpse he couldn't name, and for a long time he didn't see anyone who wasn't a corpse already. But Gunter had to be there somewhere, didn't he?

Ah. Yuuri winced when he spotted Gunter, in chains with a few others, apparently captives of nearly faceless humans. They were so generic they put the girls of Wolfram's dream to shame, all the same bland, snarling, violent monsters, mocking and violent, killers of the worst kind.

Perhaps remembered from childhood horrors of his home being attacked, or that was Yuuri's best bet. But there was more here than the deaths of all his friends, Yuuri realized suddenly.

The castle was burning. The heart and center of Shin Makoku, its treasurehouse, its history, its safety, its wisdom… Gunter wasn't modest in his fears, was he? Everything was obliterated. Yuuri shivered to see the awful, fragile corpses of Giesela and Arianwyn. They'd been mutilated and he gagged again.

And he saw himself. It was almost a relief. One of the worst things about Conrad's dream was that Yuuri had been nowhere. Had he let it happen? Made it happen? He had no way of knowing what awful history the vision had planted in Conrad's mind.

Yuuri was thrown into the line with Gunter. He was rather the worse for wear, but not too badly injured. But Yuuri could guess from the looks of the human soldiers that he was due for some serious torture that Gunter would have to watch.

He turned away from that as well, but there was nowhere safe _to_ turn. Every wall was a mirror, and even his own still held faint echoes of horrors. And he couldn't just hide. He had to save them. To his friends, he realized, it was all real. Every bit of it. That was why it was so sharp! Something, probably just being the Maou, as usual, had let Yuuri stay out of it, while the others were believing and participating fully.

"I won't let it happen!" He suddenly shouted. "I won't let any of it happen! No one will hurt any of you like that!" Yuuri covered his mouth and bit back more tears. This was so frustrating. Tired of just shouting, he wrapped his hand in his coat to punch the glass. His own mirror had broken when he escaped. Maybe it would let them out, too.

No such luck. It didn't even hurt, and the mirrors showed no effect. His hand just bounced back. He pounded until he lost a little of the restless energy that had been driving him. He wasn't tired from the exertion and his hand didn't hurt. The more he saw f this place the less real it became.

Having lost hope for the mirrors, he tried the floor, but it was even less responsive. He couldn't reach the ceiling. He jumped. He even tried wedging himself into a corner and squirming his way up, but there was no traction at all and he just fell.

Yuuri screamed with frustration, refusing to look at the miseries being wrought on his companions. He curled up and stared at the floor. He'd halfway escaped, but he was no good to any of them. He might as well return to his mirror and take his punishment, watch more carnage unfold.

He closed his eyes and laid on the cold floor. It felt like hours. Occasionally he heard a cry or a crash from one of the other mirrors and tried to shut them out. He couldn't help. The Maou was either powerless or locked away, and would lend him no power.

Then, suddenly, he heard the whistled of cold wind and felt wet snow on his cheek again. Yuuri's eyes snapped open. He couldn't see much. It was dark. But he could make out two tall, cloaked figures in the dim world around him and jumped to his feet.

"Well, we know you're alright, I guess." It was Alapai. "I'm sorry I left you. I'm not strong enough to carry any of you out, and you were all unconscious. Male elves are pretty brittle. I covered you up the best I could!"

Yuuri tried to calm down. He was shaky and sick and felt all the fatigue that comes of a really good cry. He nodded. "How long?"

"Oh, twenty minutes or so? I wasn't even halfway back before I ran into Gwendal."

Yuuri started and turned. It was Gwendal indeed, swathed in a dark green cloak and looking severe. He was also carrying what appeared to be a bright pink cylinder with a paper flower poking out of one end and a dangling string with a glowing end on the other. Anissina's, Yuuri knew instinctively.

As he leaned over Wolfram, the blond sat up with a whimper. Gwendal hugged him for a moment that Yuuri was sort of embarrassed to witness and helped him stand. He looked even worse than Yuuri.

Wolfram immediately looked for his fiancé. Yuuri's heart broke to see the look in his eyes. Without regard for their audience, Yuuri ran to Wolfram and kissed him, hugging him close. Wolfram clutched Yuuri to him and his shaking gradually ceased. In the meantime, Gwendal got Conrad on his feet. He shook his head and appeared to be alright, but Yuuri sensed he was far from it.

"We better get them out of the valley. We don't know how long that thing will last, and even I'm feeling pretty terrible." Alapai nodded to Gwendal and then to the steep slope out of the valley.

Gwendal's eyes narrowed, and through his scarf came the muffled words, "Where's Gunter?"

"Oh. He… he was that way. But I remember he… I don't know. But he was that way." Yuuri wished he could be more helpful. He pointed and sighed. Gwendal was so together and intense. He'd somehow known to find them, known to bring… whatever strange Anissina thingy it was that had freed them from that dream trap. And Yuuri was just being hopeless. Again.

"I'll find him." Gwendal took the pink thing's strap from around his neck and handed to it Conrad. "Take them out."

"I'm sure it will hit you, too." Conrad took the contraption, though.

"Maybe I'll find him first."

"I'll stay with him," Alapai volunteered.

Conrad seemed satisfied with that, though Yuuri couldn't fathom why he would be. He didn't feel up to arguing, though, and felt Wolfram needed his support. He looked so lost and his eyes were heartrending. Yuuri hooked his arm in Wolfram's until they reached the wall. Conrad climbed between them, and they all instinctively kept close to that Anissina contraption.

Once they were out of the valley, mere proximity to it felt warm and comforting. Down there, Yuuri figured, all it could do was cancel out the worst of the misery.

"I'd better go down and help. You two stay up here." He didn't tell Wolfram to watch Yuuri, as he normally would have. Conrad had apparently noticed which of them needed taking care of more at the moment. But before he got back through the cracked boulder, Gwendal pulled himself up out of the valley with a mostly unconscious Gunter clinging to him, riding piggy-back. Conrad immediately rushed over with the machine. Gunter's expression relaxed a little, from horror to mere nothingness, but he didn't wake up. In fact, he seemed to slide off Gwendal's back, and if the man hadn't spun around with an agility that surprised Yuuri, Gunter probably would have landed in the snow.

"What happened?" Yuuri couldn't believe he'd managed to miss Gunter. That they'd left it so long to help him when he'd already been sick.

"He must have just bolted when whatever happened started happening. He fell in a snowbank." Alapai hopped nimbly out through the rock. "So he'd a bit frozen. More than a bit. We better get him and the rest of you back fast, or you might all be in real trouble." The elf frowned.

Yuuri realized they all must look much the worse for wear, and he could barely believe what had happened himself. And he knew they should be reacting more. Every one of them, he could tell, was downright numb. Wolfram still looked shell-shocked, Conrad dull, and Yuuri… Well, he didn't even know what he was feeling. But it left him not much better able to react or understand than the others. Still. He'd known what was happening, or at least that it _was_ happening. They hadn't.

He slid his arm around Wolfram's waist and held him tight. It was all he could do during the hurried, silent walk back to the tunnels. Gwendal carried Gunter the whole way and looked annoyed at all of them.

Once they'd returned to the elfish castle and been served hot drinks of questionable content, Yuuri felt himself begin to relax a little. He didn't relax his grip on Wolfram, though.

Alapai decided against splitting them up and had brought them to a room with four beds. It was small and plain, pretty clearly meant for servants, but Yuuri at least was grateful he could be near the others.

They spread out. Wolfram and Yuuri sat together on one bed. Gwendal carried Gunter to another. Conrad sat across from Yuuri and Alapai took the remaining bed. He looked awfully sheepish.

Conrad spoke first. "So what happened down there?"

"I'm afraid I don't know." Alapai sighed. "Or not exactly. It certainly effects you differently than it would an elf. I've heard about some elves who go in that valley losing their minds, but what happened to you… Well, I guess whatever effects us effects you much more."

"The rest of you passed out after I did," Yuuri volunteered. He figured they'd be used to him doing things like that by now. "But… It didn't do any good. I couldn't even stand back up." He thought of something. "How did Gunter run if I couldn't even stand up?"

"I guess he really _is_ part elf. It must have taken longer to hit him." Alapai shrugged. Conrad and Wolfram both looked a bit annoyed. Yuuri was confused until he realized that the aristocrats of Shin Makoku kept very intricate genealogies. If Gunter was part elf and didn't know it, the only explanation was an indiscretion on the part of someone with considerable dignity. Yuuri reminded himself not to bring it up.

"That doesn't tell us what _did_ happen, though." Wolfram's voice wasn't as firm as usual, but he sounded at least faintly like himself. "It was… it was like having the worst nightmare of my life. But everything seemed real. Every moment of it."

Yuuri hugged him. Conrad nodded solemnly. "I forgot where I was. It wasn't a dream. It was living in some… horrible future. Though I'd forgotten all about the valley and the plants."

"Me, too." Wolfram sighed and covered his face in his hands. Yuuri stroked his hair and he didn't even make a gesture of throwing him off. He needed the affection.

"Not me." Now Yuuri felt even worse. He'd escaped the worst of it. Imagine how much more terrible that would have been if he'd believed it? Come to think, he hadn't seen a current version of Conrad or Wolfram watching the proceedings inside. Had they been _living_ their respective hells? Stuck inside those lies of their future selves? He hugged Wolfram tighter.

They looked at him in confusion, and Yuuri supposed he had to explain. He didn't want to explain too much, though. He didn't want them knowing he'd seen deeply into each of their worst fears. Frankly, Yuuri wouldn't want someone knowing it about him. What frightened him most wasn't being trapped but that somehow, something had looked into his head and heart and found his worst fears to show him. He knew already it wasn't impossible, but the thing capable of doing it was supposed to be gone.

Well, they'd found that evil power Ken had been talking about, anyway.

"I… I knew it wasn't real. It kept falling apart at the edges, and I was outside myself, just watching. It was still terrible. And part of me did believe."

"Lucky you," Wolfram said. There was no bitterness. He just sounded really tired. Yuuri wanted to comfort him, to promise never to treat him like that awful dream-Yuuri, but that would mean revealing what he'd seen.

"I sort of… escaped the vision. But I couldn't wake up until Gwendal and Alapai got there, anyway." He shrugged a bit helplessly. It wasn't fair that he'd missed out on the worst misery. "I guess Ken and Ulrike will have to try and figure out what happened."

"I suppose. Gunter would be more qualified than the rest of us." Conrad shot a glance at him. Gwendal had covered him in three blankets and let his hair fall over the side of the bed to dry. He looked angelic, but also a bit corpselike. Yuuri could head a slight rattle to his breathing from across the room. He grimaced.

"Gwendal, what _is_ that?" Wolfram asked suddenly. Yuuri was glad he had. He'd been meaning to bring it up himself.

Conrad smiled. A ghostly smile, but a real one. "I believe that's Mr. Cheers You Up."

Gwendal coughed and left off feeding healing energy into Gunter. It was good of him to do. He had to be tired from his trip, and the rest of them were a bit too shaken to be a lot of use. "Anissina left it at my house years ago. I'd merely _meant_ to bring it back to her."

"What's it supposed to do?" Yuuri couldn't imagine she'd created an anti-Tears of El contraption.

"It, ahem." Conrad paused to really smile. "Is the solution for any Gwendal-type gloom encountered when inappropriate."

"Huh?"

"She used it to try to make Gwendal more enthusiastic about things. Never worked very well, though." Wolfram sat up a bit and smiled himself. "I remember now. …Did she leave it in your castle or did you hide it?"

Gwendal sniffed derisively. He did not deign to answer.

"Well, it's a lucky thing. It always did work on everyone else a bit better than you." Conrad smiled and hit a small, red button. "We might need it again soon, so let's not waste the maryoku." Gwendal nodded, but he seemed to Yuuri to be in a very odd mood. They let him alone.

Yuuri snuggled against Wolfram. There seemed not much point left to keeping their affection hidden. There wasn't much else to say. None of them knew how to understand what had happened. They just needed some time and comfort.

The door opened a crack. "Um, hi, everyone." Maddox's voice slipped in. He opened the door the rest of the way. "Well, if I'd known you'd be having such adventures without me…" He laughed weakly.

"Where were you?" snapped Wolfram.

"Um, well, you guys didn't wake me to come with…" He shrugged sheepishly. "I'm not psychic."

"If you'd been paying any attention you'd have at least known to ask. We all could have died!" Wolfram's fuse was even shorter than usual. Yuuri didn't blame him.

"Well, I'd have been very sorry if you had. But I bet I wouldn't have helped much either. So… there." Maddox rolled his eyes and left. Wolfram glared at him suspiciously. Yuuri couldn't manage any suspicion of his own. Certainly Maddox couldn't have orchestrated that mess… Could he?

He sighed and leaned against Wolfram once more. They snuggled a bit, and exhaustion caught up with them once more. They'd been out in the cold much too long, immobile, and their bodies were suffering. Yuuri stretched out to sleep and Wolfram curled up beside him. He heard the others settle in and Alapai leave the room.

Yuuri woke a while later. He had been having nightmares. Hardly a surprise. But normal nightmares, so it was no great worry.

There was a lamp lit. Or what passed for a lamp, one of those cold, glowing orbs. He looked over blearily, wondering if something was going on.

Gunter looked even sicker, though that was probably the harsh light. Gwendal was sitting on the bed beside him, holding his head up a little, tipping a cup of the elves' tea into his mouth. Still looking after him. Gwendal was a good friend in spite of his gruff attitude. Yuuri smiled and almost closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

Then something caught his attention. That smile. He'd seen Gwendal smile a bit like Conrad before, been astounded at the resemblance the two could have under the right circumstances. But he'd never thought he'd see Gwendal looking… like Wolfram.

That soft expression, the gentle smile, the doe-like, shimmering, adoring eyes, the love and devotion that filled the very air around him. Yuuri treasured the rare moments when Wolfram was really like that, when the two of them could be lost together in a world of their own making. And now… Those same eyes shone down at Gunter.

Gwendal loved him.

Yuuri couldn't suppress a little gasp. Gwendal's head abruptly twisted toward him so fast Yuuri heard his neck pop a little. The soft, unconditional love vanished in an instant, and all he saw was anger. Yuuri quickly buried his face in the pillow, but he was pretty sure he'd been spotted.

He lay unnaturally still for a long moment. Through his tightly closed eyelids he still saw the light go out, heard the near-silent padding of Gwendal trying to tiptoe. He tried hard, but he just stepped heavily. There was darkness and silence and soon he calmed down.

Yuuri could see why Gwendal would be angry. What a private moment. But… what a sad moment as well. Why didn't Gunter know? Because he certainly didn't. Why not tell him? What a beautiful truth and a painful lie! Yuuri had seen all he'd needed to in a few moments there. Gwendal adored Gunter.

Why would love like that be hidden? Maybe Wolfram's rather unusual openness about his feelings biased Yuuri, but loving someone like that and not sharing it… Yuuri had a feeling he knew what Gwendal's hellish dream would have been if he'd had one. And it probably wouldn't be too different from right now.

**Author's Note:**_ Alright, this chapter here was an angstcake with angst filling and angsting on top. Sorry if it was grating on anyone. It wasn't really supposed to be fun times, though. And it was kinda cute at the end there, right? If a little bittersweet. It'll be less hellish next time. This was also longer in coming than I wanted it to be. As you might imagine, this was pretty tricky to write, though I ended up doing most of it in one sitting once I figured out how to approach it._

_I'm aware it's _kinda_ like what happened in that one OVA episode with the machine that showed the least desirable future for lovers. I had the idea before the OVA came out. And my take is surely darker and more serious, if nothing else. So… cope with it, I guess. _


End file.
